Dueling Legend
by Demons of the arch angel
Summary: AU-ish, slight x-over with YGO. Sixteen year old rising duelist Shun Sakaki enrolls into Duel Academy the school of his dreams! But with a hidden agenda and several secrets, can Shun make sure his fellow classmates don't figure his plan out?
1. 1: The Academy

**Anime: Hi, this is demigodanimewarrior! **

**Chazz: Just get on with the story.**

**Anime: Geez! Grouchy . . . Anyways, this is my first story here in . Don't be mean! I'll cry a lot. . .**

**Jaden: demigodanimewarrior does not own Yu-Gi-Oh!, Yu-Gi-Oh! GX. If she did, Yugi would be her big brother and I'd be her son! And Sora from Kingdom Hearts would be her husband, Ciel Phantomhive, Artemis Fowl, Tyson Granger and Kai Hiwatari would be my brothers . . . Sebastian Michaelis would be her brother . . . the list is endless . . .**

**Anime: You are my son! *glomps him***

**Chazz: To the story!**

1: The Academy

I clutched my suitcase tightly with one hand, the other hand on the railing of the boat. I sighed, taking in the sweet ocean breeze, and the man next to me smiled, "Are you nervous, Shun-boy?"

I returned the smile, "A little, Pegasus-sama. I've never been in a private boarding school for dueling, you know? And Duel Academy is Kaiba-san's elite academy. I don't know why he'd even dream of allowing me in!"

"You're a very talented boy, Shun," Pegasus replied, "This academy is where you belong. Oh, did you open the present Yugi-boy sent you?"

"Not yet. I'll open it right now! Yugi-kun better have given me something good!" I replied with a small chuckle. I grabbed the box next to my suitcase and opened it, revealing a golden pyramid with an odd eye.

"What is this?"

Pegasus beamed, "An invention of mine. I call it the Millennium Pyramid, based on the seven mystical items! Do you like it? It took my staff days to complete. It seems Yugi solved it just like he did the Millennium Puzzle."

I held the pyramid in my hands, shoulders slumped, "Why didn't he come to see me off? Seto-kun and Joey-kun saw me off but he didn't . . ."

"Yugi had some important matters to attend to, Shun. Don't forget he is the King of Games." I sighed, "Yeah. I know. How can I possibly forget? He earned that title when he won the Duelist Kingdom and Battle City tournaments. I should know . . ."

I took out Dark Magician of Chaos, the same card Yugi used to defeat Pegasus nearly ten years ago. Pegasus patted my shoulder, "Don't look too glum. Soon you'll make your own name and rule this school."

"You're trying really hard to convince me, Pegasus-sama." I said with a sad smile. Pegasus looked ahead, "I see the island! Oh, aren't you happy to be in Duel Academy! Kaiba-boy sure invested money in this place."

"Yeah." I replied.

"Go put on your uniform!" Pegasus said. I held the Obelisk Blue uniform in one hand and I cringed, "Um . . . can I not wear it? I would rather wear the Slifer Red. I like Slifer more than Obelisk and Yugi-kun said I could choose it. Chancellor Sheppard said he wouldn't mind if I start in Slifer as no one really knows I got a perfect score in my written exam and nailed my dueling entrance exam . . ."

"Alright. Why you want to play the underdog is beyond me." Pegasus replied and I smiled, "Yugi-kun and Kaiba-san won't know and what they don't know won't kill them. You and Sheppard-sama can cover for me if they ask. Pleeeease let me pass of as a Slifer!"

Pegasus sighed, "Alright."

I nodded, "Besides, if Dueling Academy doesn't work, I was given invitations to several other schools: North Academy, Duel Monsters Academy, Dueling School for Men, Southwest Academy, etc."

"You're an excellent Duelist, top of your class. You'll easily become the best of the school, Shun-boy. You strongly believe in the heart of the cards and your ability to see Dueling Spirits help you. Besides, your gift-."

"It's a curse." I mumbled, "Not a gift. Whoever allowed me my 'curse' must have hated me. I-."

"We've arrived!" I sighed, out of relief, and Pegasus turned to me, "Well, go and change into your Slifer Red uniform. Time for school."

I walked behind Pegasus as we made our way towards Chancellor Sheppard's office. Pegasus opened the door and entered. Chancellor Sheppard looked up, "You must be Shun-."

"Sakaki." I cut in sharply before he could finish. I blinked at how rude that sounded and bowed, blushing brightly, "I'm so sorry. Sakaki Shun, Sheppard-sama."

"I see." He said with a small smile. I gulped and sighed, "Um. . . Sheppard-sama, I have to ask you to not tell anyone I belong in Obelisk Blue."

"Why not?"

I cleared my throat, "It'll be better to start as an underdog. I mean, so no one will realize my . . . connection to . . ."

"I understand perfectly well. Is that the reason why you reverted back to using the last name of Sakaki, when it was changed nearly six years ago after the death of your parents?"

At my questioning glance, Sheppard closed his eyes, "Kaiba-sama told me about your past before we sent you the exams. About the car accident that killed your parents and you had to move in with your grandfather and cousin."

"But Grandfather had died," I said sadly, "so I was given to the care of my older cousin. I was raised by him and trained to be a Duelist by the best. Seto-kun, Joey-kun, occasionally Marik-kun, and Yugi-kun."

Sheppard nodded, "Your eyes are so similar to your cousin's."

"Everyone says so." I said, "Joey-kun says they burn with the same passion for Dueling. I don't know. Sometimes I feel inferior to him, you know?"

I sighed, "I miss him. Last time I saw him . . . was last night."

_"__I'm done packing for the Academy!" I said happily. I looked down from the stairs, "Hey! Hey! Sensei-kun!"_

_"__Don't call me that." The reply came from the kitchen. I smirked and ran down the stairs, "But you are my sensei,_ _Onīsan! You teach me so much. You and the others are the best duelists the world has ever known!"_

_I popped my head in the kitchen, "So . . . Are you going to miss me?"_

_"__Of course." He was quiet, touching his cup of coffee, "Will you be fine on your own, Shun? Duel Academy will be the worst place to be, especially if your curse gets in the way." _

_"__I'll be fine." I replied._

_At his worried look, I elaborated, "First of, Sheppard-sama will look out for me and I have a cell phone! I'll call you if I need medical attention or if the curse gets too out of hand! Don't worry about me! I'm sixteen years old! I'm not the sad, dejected ten year old that returned here after being gone for around four years or the lonely six year old that always bugged you."_

_"__I know." He said._

_I smiled, "Chaos-chan is with me! He'll protect me. He's always protected me from evil spirits, even since I was little. If the pain gets to be too much, Chaos-chan will protect me from most of it!"_

_"__I will miss you, Shun."_

_I smiled, "Likewise, Sensei-kun."_

_Silence. Then he smiled, "Go to bed. Tomorrow, you'll go off to Duel Academy and that's going to serve as your road to become the future King of Games."_

_"__Right. But I'll need to defeat the unbeatable King of Games – Yugi Muto. Do you think I can beat him?" I asked with a small smirk. My cousin nodded, "You have a good heart. You'll do it."_

_"__See you tomorrow, then?"_

_"__Yeah. Good luck. You'll need."_

_I stopped in the staircase and looked down at him, "I promise you that I will defeat the King of Games and I'll take that title. I will become the next King of Games! That's a promise!"_

Sheppard cleared his throat and I was jolted out of the memory, "I've called an escort to show you around. Three reliable Duelists that have proven themselves to be very powerful."

The door opened and I turned to see three guys standing there – two wearing Slifer Uniforms, the other not wearing any of the uniforms provided.

The one in the middle of the group was a two-toned brunette with some orange on top of his hair with warm chocolate-brown eyes that were positioned directly beneath the bangs of the layer closest to his face, wearing the Slifer Red jacket unbuttoned like me. He had white jeans and a black shirt underneath the Slifer jacket. He looked like a swell guy to get to know and probably an amazing duelist.

The one to his right was the one who wasn't wearing the uniform; instead, it was a dark purple shirt and dark blue jeans, complete with a slightly tattered, long black jacket with grey trimmings and sharp edges. He had spiky black hair is sectioned in two layers, his cold black eyes positioned directly beneath the bangs of the layer closest to his face but I knew he'd be a good person once you got to know him.

The last one among them was a blonde with some silver at the tip of his hair that turned darker as his hair went up, where it was almost golden like the sun or something. He had light blue eyes, almost the color of the sky, wearing the Slifer jacket as well. Instead of white jeans like the brunette, he wore dark jeans and a V-neck black shirt.

I had spiky black hair (**like Tyson from Beyblade G-Revolution**) and purple eyes. I wore the Slifer Red jacket, unbuttoned like the other two as well. I was now wearing Yugi's gift – the Millennium Pyramid – with a leather cord around my neck. Underneath, it was a black muscle shirt similar to Yugi's style and blue pants similar to those used in Domino High, my previous school.

I bowed politely at them, "I am Shun Sakaki and I'm joining the Slifer Red."

"Ah, man, that's totally sweet!" The brunette said with a huge smile, perkily. Yup, I liked him. And I liked the happy feeling coming from him and his deck that was hanging from his belt, "The name's Jaden Yuki and I'm in Slifer too!"

"Jaden's very perky." The blonde said, grinning at me. Yeah, I liked him too and the happy feeling of his cards. Hm. There was something odd about him. He had feminine features, as if he was a girl, "I'm Hikaru Amiya and I'm a Slifer too."

The raven-haired boy looked up at me but he didn't give me a smile or grin like his other companions did. I guess he was the grouch of the trio. Strangely, that had reminded me a lot of Seto, "I'm Chazz Princeton."

"What's your dorm?" I asked and he stayed quiet. Hmm. Was he in Slifer, Ra or Obelisk? I didn't know but I felt that he belonged in the Obelisk dorm. Call me crazy but I had a gut feeling that something happened and he had been demoted. And I couldn't help noticing that the trio had Duel Spirits hanging around their heads . . .

Sheppard cleared his throat, reminding me that he was here as well along with Pegasus, and I turned to him, still noticing the fur ball near Jaden's head that looked like a Kuriboh with wings. Wait. Winged Kuriboh?

"Jaden, Chazz and Hikaru are our best students in this academy," He told me. Hikaru and Jaden grinned nervously at the praise. Hikaru even scratched the back of his head due to embarrassment. Chazz looked extremely happy about the praise, acting smug like Seto-kun.

"All three of you have no classes for today as you will be showing Shun around the grounds and helping him adjust," The Chancellor continued and I saw Hikaru and Jaden slap each other high-fives, "It's late in the year for a student to enroll in Duel Academy but-."

"But Kaiba-boy recommended Shun-boy!" Pegasus suddenly hugged me from behind, squeezing my neck tightly. I went cross-eyed as my air supply was cut off and I could see Jaden, Hikaru and Chazz look surprised, an awkward anime-drop visible on their faces.

"I'll admit that Shun has the makings of becoming the next King of Games if he wants to try!" Pegasus said dramatically to them while I turned as blue as Obelisk himself, "In fact, Shun was trained by legends like Kaiba-boy, Marik, Joey and Yugi-boy himself! Why, he-!"

I pushed Pegasus off me, breathing heavily, leaning on Sheppard's desk for support. My Obelisk-blue face turned to its normal shade as I coughed a little and shot him a glare that didn't look so scary. I wish I had taken Death Glare 101 from Seto. He was good at those glares.

"I was about to suffocate, Pegasus-sama! Don't hug me like that!" I said. Pegasus smiled at me, rubbing the back of his head but not apologizing. Damn, I could never make him apologize for anything!

Hikaru chuckled loudly at what occurred between Pegasus and me (a.k.a: laughing at my near death experience/ becoming the new Obelisk the Tormentor as I was losing my air supply). I turned to him and he responded with a wide grin, "I guess you are good to go in the Slifer Dorm, Shun."

"Shun will have to dorm with you and Jaden in the Slifer Dorms." Sheppard said and the two – Hikaru and Jaden – just nodded their agreement, looking at me with matching grins. I was rooming with the two guys I just met and liked? Sweet! Pandora will be so happy!

I smiled at my roommates, who grinned again in response, and Chazz nodded as we headed towards the door to leave the office, "Well, let's go and show him around. Let's go, slackers."

"Yeah. We should start the tour!" Hikaru said, a fist in the air.

Jaden patted my shoulder and leaned on it, grinning, "Welcome aboard, Shun! Let us be the first to welcome you into the Academy. This will be a fun year, let me tell you that!"

"Go easy on him," Sheppard said to his top students. Hikaru turned to him, "We will try, Chancellor! But Danger is my middle name!" He started laughing like a maniac and I shivered.

"Good luck, Shun!" Pegasus replied loudly, waving at me.

"Thank you, Pegasus-sama!" I stated back, "I'll write to you guys monthly about what's going on! I'll keep you posted!"

"Let's go!" Hikaru exclaimed as both he and Jaden grabbed my wrists and started leading me through the long hallways, both of them chatting loudly about how'd we be cool roommates and we'd have lots of fun.

Chazz kept his distance from us, a small smirk on his lips as I was ushered by the two happiest, hyper and peppiest guys I've ever met in my life. And, believe me, I've met a lot of people!

I smiled as they led me through the hallways. At last. My adventure in Duel Academy finally began and so did my mission.

**Anime: I'm done!**

**Jaden: Wow, that was a lot. . . **

**Anime: Thanks!**

**Haou: Review and comment or Anime will release Jehu.**

**Anime: I never said that!**

**Jehu: Can't wait. Hehehe. . .**


	2. 2: The Grounds

**Anime: Hello~**

**Chazz: Where have you been?**

**Anime: Testing. Benchmarks. I am a freshman in high school, man. This is too fast. And I'm having my STAAR (state exams) in early December, after my Thanksgiving break. TTnTT**

**Hikaru: Don't cry . . . We ain't judging.**

**Jaden: What are all these quizzes for? **

**Anime: I looked everywhere to make sure that Hikaru and Shun were not Mary Stues/Gary Stues. **

**Shun: Huh? What does that mean, Anime-sama?**

**Jaden: Perfect original characters in fanfiction. Also, Anime thanks iloveyugiohGX93 for that nice review. It is much appreciated. You moved her to tears.**

**Hikaru: Anyways, Anime doesn't own anything related to Yu-Gi-Oh! She only owns me, Shun, some new cards and the plot. If she did own Yu-Gi-Oh!, then she wouldn't be in boring high school where they don't have an anime club just yet. **

"Talking" – regular communication

_Talking_ - thinking

'_Talking'_ – Duel Spirits communication

'**Talking'** – Duel Spirits telepathic communication

2: The Grounds

I walked behind Chazz and was sandwiched between Hikaru and Jaden (Hikaru to my left and Jaden to my right). Chazz showed the locations, Hikaru explained their purpose and Jaden would mention duels that took place there. Mostly duels that involved him, Hikaru, Chazz or his other friends/rivals (called Syrus, Alexis, Bastion, Hassleberry, Atticus and Zane).

Hikaru stopped, making everyone turn to the blonde. For the first time I met Hikaru, he looked serious about something. He frowned, eyes narrowing as he spotted something ahead of us, "Crowler."

I looked ahead to see a man with long blonde hair wearing a blue outfit with pink cuffs coming our way. Well, I think it's a guy, anyways; this was really confusing and the fact he was wearing purple lipstick didn't help. (**That happened to me when I watched GX the first time. I was like eight or nine XD**) He smirked as his gaze landed on us, "Well, well, my _favorite_," I didn't like the way he said _favorite_, "slackers. What are you three doing out of class?"

Hikaru was about to reply with a snappy or sarcastic remark (he looked like the type who would do just that so I just guessed that's what he was going to say) when Crowler replied, "A month of detention sounds like a good amount. Yes-."

"Excuse me?" I asked, stepping forward. Crowler looked at me for a moment and I bowed politely, "I am Shun Sakaki and I'm new to Duel Academy. Sheppard-sama asked Hikaru-kun, Jaden-kun and Chazz-kun to show me around the grounds. He gave them full permission. I'm sorry that causes you troubles, Crowler-sensei."

Crowler stared at me, confused for a long time but I knew why. He was looking directly at my face. Well, more importantly, to my trademark trait people usually commented on, "Those eyes . . ."

I cocked my head to the side, blinking, "Excuse me?"

He shook his head like a dog shakes itself of water, but, as he was getting to leave, he looked into my rare eyes people stared at very often again that it didn't bother me anymore, "Alright, Sakaki, slackers. You are free to go."

I bowed again, "Thank you so much!"

As he left, Hikaru whistled, "Your manners . . . are better than mine. Scratch that, your manners are better than anyone in this whole school, probably more than a girl's! How in the world are you so . . . nice?"

I blinked, turning to face him, "Yu-chan always told me to be nice to be people. It's mean to do bad things to people you don't know. It's better to be nice, you know? If I start being mean to someone, they'll be mean right back."

Jaden shrugged, "As much as I've been nice to him, he's always hated me to the core. Though, it might have been because I beat him in my entrance exams. Well, we should show you the Slifer Red dorms."

Hikaru nodded in agreement and Chazz drew me away from the other two, who engaged in a random conversation about food which I found odd, "Between you and me, Slifer Red dorms aren't that cool."

"Why not?" I asked curiously and Chazz sighed, "You'll see, Shun, you'll see. Hey, your eye color is odd. I've never met anyone with that shade of purple. It reminds me of . . ."

As Chazz said that, I froze. He stared at me and I nearly gulped. Was he getting close to my secret? After a long time, Chazz finally responded by drawing away. He sighed, almost in defeat and said, "Huh, lost it. But they look so familiar."

"Well, guys, take me to the Slifer dorms! I'd like to know where I'll be living from now on and my official second home!" I said happily while Chazz still contemplated over my unusual eye color.

As Hikaru and Jaden cheered and half-dragged me to the dorms, I nearly sighed in relief. Chazz hadn't made the connection. He hadn't made the connection, meaning my secret was safe. For now.

But if they began to pry, they'd realize my secrets. And I really hope that they don't attempt to pry. Or it'll be the end of me. My shot at being a normal kid would be shattered and I'd probably go to another school and start over.

And if I did that, then my mission would be abandoned. No matter what, that was my priority. Even more than my chance at a normal life.

Slifer Red dorms were . . . . . . . amazing! They were really close to the cliff so it had an amazing view of the ocean. The surface of the ocean glittered due to the sunlight and the area around the dorms had green grass. Even if Chazz called the place a dump, I loved the worn-out two story building. And both Hikaru and Jaden loved it to, as they smiled at it and told me that this was the proud Slifer Red dorm.

Coming from the urban city Domino, the sight looked like something out of a movie or something. And I didn't mind that the dorms of the Slifers were smaller than the other dorms in the school. Remembering the places where I used to live, it was bigger so I liked it.

Jaden and Hikaru entered their dorm, which was now my dorm as well, actually. It was small room with three beds, one window and a desk that didn't seem to be used. The two lower ones were taken, leaving the top bunk unoccupied. My bunk, I knew. I smiled at the room, bigger than mine at home, "I love this place. It's so quaint. I'm glad it's not over the top."

"Glad ya like it." Hikaru said as he climbed into the middle bunk, Jaden taking the lowest one. Chazz sighed and I threw my suitcase to the top bunk. I climbed up and started to make myself at home.

I placed pictures on my wall of my past experiences and then looked down at my fellow companions, "So, you're second year students like me?"

Hikaru nodded, "Yeah."

Jaden closed his eyes for a moment, spread out on his bed, "Yeah. But Hikaru and I didn't go to Duel Prep School like Chazz did."

"Prep School?" I said and Chazz nodded. I got out of bed, "I'm a little curious . . . Is there really an abandoned dorm here in Duel Academy?" Hikaru and Jaden flinched while Chazz chuckled.

"Yeah . . . there's an Abandoned Dorm here in the Academy . . ." Hikaru mumbled, "But we're not allowed to go in. After all, Jaden, Syrus and I were nearly expelled because we got in."

"Seto-kun told me once when we were training," I started, "that when they started construction for the Academy, Pegasus-sama suggested making four dorms to honor a fourth card, a fourth monster."

"A fourth monster?" All three asked and I nodded, "They created it but, as you can see, it didn't go so well. Missing students . . . It might come with the curse of the fourth card."

"Curse of the fourth card?" Hikaru asked, intrigued.

I looked at the window, "When Pegasus-sama first started production, he created four cards and was going to introduce them as the four strongest cards of the world of Duel Monsters. However, the fourth card was too dangerous so they sealed it away. Still, it was technically a God Card so they included it in the blueprints of Duel Academy. Sadly, it didn't go as planned."

"This fourth card . . . do you know anything about it?" Jaden asked and I shook my head, "No. I just know that it's been nicknamed the 'ultimate card' by those who know of its possible existence."

"I see." Hikaru said.

I shrugged, "Pegasus-sama won't tell me about it. My cousin said I shouldn't ever know about that card but I thought to myself: It'd be interesting to uncover some secrets.

"A fourth monster . . ." Chazz said and three Duel Spirits started speaking to him. I acted like I didn't hear them but still, they were cute. I recognized them as the Ojama Trio – Yellow, Green and Black.

I got on the bed again and laid down, closing my eyes. I was silent until I felt a tug on my jacket. I opened my eyes to see . . . no one. But I knew who it was. I looked at the shadows and whispered, '_Pandora_.'

'_The Realm of the Shadows is restless_.' A voice hissed.

'_Is it . . . about the ultimate card_?'

'_Yes_.'

I sighed softly, '_Pandora, contact Yugi about this. He needs to know. The ultimate card's spirit is potentially dangerous_.'

'_Make sure the Magicians take care of you, Shun. If they do not protect you from the corrupted cards, the shadows or from the Shadow Realm, I shall kill them and tear them apart_.'

'_Don't worry about that. Chaos protects me, after all. Hurry and tell Yugi about this development. Then arrive quickly in case of a Duel. You're important to my Deck and family, Pandora_.'

'_Good luck_.'

I nodded my head and found Chazz swatting at the Ojama Trio, annoyed. Jaden was patting Winged Kuriboh while Hikaru was whispering at Raging Flame Sprite. I got off my bunk bed, "So, what Deck do you play?"

"Pyro/Warrior type-based Deck." Hikaru said.

'_I'm your favorite card, though. Right, Hika-chan_?' Raging Flame Sprite said, looking at Hikaru with big, shiny eyes. Hikaru refrained himself from smiling at the Duel Spirit, I saw.

"Elemental Heroes Deck." Jaden said.

Chazz said nothing. I smiled at them, trying not to laugh as the Ojama Trio pestered Chazz, "Sweet. I play a Spellcaster/Fiend/Dragon-based Deck."

"Can we see?" Hikaru asked excited. I nodded and grabbed my Deck that was hanging from my belt. I passed it to him, who took it out. He started to place some of my spell cards, trap cards and magic cards to one side to see my monsters.

He stopped and looked up at me. I raised an eyebrow, "What's up?"

"When this card is Normal or Special Summoned: You can target 1 Spell Card in your Graveyard; add that target to your hand. Banish any monster destroyed by battle with this card. If this face-up card would leave the field, banish it instead. ATK/ 2800. DEF/ 2600. Dark attribute. Eight Stars."

"Dark Magician of Chaos." I said fondly.

"You have a Dark Magician of Chaos?" Jaden said in awe. I saw Winged Kuriboh glance at me. I smiled when they were too busy looking at Chaos and placed my index finger to my lips. Winged Kuriboh nodded but said nothing.

"Yeah." I said.

"I've never seen this card before."

Chazz had picked up one of my cards. I turned to him and saw him observing one of my favorite monsters. Seven Stars. ATK/ 2700. DEF/ 2500. Dark attribute. The card I had begged Pegasus to make when I was smaller and, in my most sixteen birthday, he gave me the one of a kind new cards I had designed.

Malicious Sorceress of Pandemonium.

She could only appear on the field when the Sorcerer of Dark Magic (10 Stars; ATK/ 3200; DEF/ 2800) was on the field and either Dark Magician Girl or Mage of Darkness was in the graveyard. She can either increase my Life Points by 200 for every Spellcaster in the Graveyard (my opponent or mine) or she can attack directly if I give up 1000 of my own Life Points once per turn. During her Battle Phase, Trap, Magic or Spell Traps cannot be activated.

The picture showed a female who had a hat like all the Magicians. Her hat was darker than Chaos's and hid one of her golden eyes. Her hair was white and in a similar style to Dark Magician Girl's. Her scepter was a cross between Dark Magician of Chaos's and Sorcerer of Dark Magic except the color scheme was silver and black. Her outfit was similar to Magician's Valkyria except it was black and silver and she had a bright red stone necklace around her neck. She looked deadly.

But Malicious Sorceress of Pandemonium was kind, despite what people thought about her. And I usually called her by another name.

I called her Pandora.

Pandora was one of my many Duel Spirits and she loved me a lot because I was her 'creator' and whatnot. She protected me from danger and she liked to travel mostly through shadows. That's why I made her run 'errands' to inform Yugi (or Seto or Joey) about anything.

"She's a one of a kind card." I replied.

"Pretty cool!" Hikaru said, peeking to take a look, Jaden doing the same.

I smiled at them and Hikaru grabbed a card and stared at it, "Mage of Darkness? That's a new one."

I turned to see the lovely Mage of Darkness, nicknamed Maggie. She had Seven Stars and was a Dark attribute. ATK/ 2600. DEF/ 2500. Her ability was that she could bring another Spellcaster from my Deck or hand to the field. Once per turn, she can raise my Life Points by 500. Like the Sorcerer of Dark Magic, she could negate Trap Cards.

The picture was of a teenage Magician with a white outfit similar to Dark Magician Girl's with black lines around her wrists. Her scepter was white with a black gem in a style similar to Dark Magician. She had long dark brown hair and silver eyes. Around her neck was a black gem. Even though she had a serious face, you could tell she was a troublemaker.

"I have more of those rare cards." I said as they looked at the others that were part of my "family", "Pegasus only made one of each and gave it to me in my last birthday."

"That's so cool. I wish I had Pegasus as one of my . . . I don't know how he's related to you." Hikaru said with a smile. He stood up and Raging Flame Sprite looked at the cards, '_Those are the Spellcasters I've heard of_.'

"You've heard of them?" I asked him and they all flinched, staring at me with wide eyes. Jaden neared me, "Wait . . . you can see Duel Spirits?"

"Is Winged Kuriboh your Duel Spirit?" I said, with a faint smile.

"Yes he can!" Hikaru said as he launched himself at me, hugging me from behind, "Someone else who can see Duel Spirits! We're not the only ones, Jay, Chazz! We got Shun now!"

I gasped for breath and then Hikaru yelped, releasing me. He rubbed his head, moaning in pain. There, holding her scepter dangerously, was Mage of Darkness. She got close to Hikaru, '_Listen, no one hurts Shun but me, okay_?'

"Maggie, you're scaring him." I said as Kuriboh appeared on my shoulder. Maggie stuck out her tongue, '_I saved your life and that's how you repay me? At least be glad Pandora isn't here. She would've made this guy land in a coma. Remember the last bully, ne_?'

"Yeah, I remember, Maggie." I said, "In Pandora's defense, he was about to rip the Sorcerer of Dark Magic's card. And she and Sorcerer have a thing for each other. I just know it."

Maggie giggled, '_Ne, Dark Magician Girl and I were right_!'

"It's been obvious that they like each other." I replied, "I mean, for crying out loud, she can only be summoned if he's on the field."

Maggie nodded with a finger under her chin, '_That's true, ne_?' She looked at the others, '_Who are your friends, Shun_?'

"Jaden Yuki."

"Chazz Princeton."

"Hikaru Amiya."

Kuriboh nudged my face softly (unlike Maggie who liked to hit me with her scepter) and I looked down at him, "What's up?" He started talking to me quickly and I turned to the rest, "Kuriboh asked if you want to meet Chaos, Dark Magician, Dark Magician Girl, Sorcerer, and the others?"

"Others?"

"I have several Duel Spirits that like to appear." I said, looking at Maggie. She grinned, '_You love me. Of course, I can't compete with Chaos. You've had him for years, ne_.'

I nodded, "I still love you, though."

'_Eeek! Shun, you're so sweet_!' Maggie cried out, hugging me tightly. I laughed and Kuriboh hit her lightly on the head, as if telling her to release me. Maggie pouted, '_Kuri-sama, don't be mean to little ol' me. . . DMG would get mad about you bullying me_. . .'

"Who says she would?" I asked teasingly.

Maggie gave me a glare, '_Geez, I feel the love, Shun_ . . .'

'. . . _Help_ . . .'

My eyes widened at the soft voice. What was that? Was it what I think it was? I turned to Maggie, whose eyes had turned serious. Chazz, Jaden and Hikaru sensed the tension and were looking at me, as if I knew which I did.

"I . . ." I said, feeling a little disoriented and slightly wobbling. Maggie ran to me, trying to keep me upright as I started turning pale, '_Shun, where is it coming from_?'

"It's . . ." I started coughing, my body trembling as I did. The others gasped at my condition, eyes widening. Jaden ran to me, grabbing me from the shoulders, "Shun?! Say something, pal! Shun!"

Jaden shook me gently, eyes widening more than they already were as I started coughing more violently, "Shun!" I felt bile rising up to my throat but I couldn't let them know about the pain I was currently going through.

"Jaden-kun . . . the porch . . . under the floorboards . . ." I said, my legs giving out as my condition worsened, my strength I used to usually stand up vanishing. It took a lot of my energy to stay awake.

"Whoa!" Jaden cried out, keeping me upright as I coughed again, tasting something metallic inside my mouth. Maggie turned to Hikaru and Chazz, '_You heard the man! To the porch floorboards! I'll be back super quickly so stay in this realm with us, Shun_!' She grabbed Hikaru and Chazz's hands and led them out of the room, much to their astonishment. This left me alone in the room with the Winged Kuriboh, Kuriboh and Jaden.

I leaned on the wall, my vision getting blurry. Kuriboh arrived at my side, whispering something in his tongue that I had managed to decipher after many years. I placed a hand on his fur, feeling it was extremely solid. If this kept up, I might end up falling into _that_ place again . . . I started gasping for breath, Jaden asking me questions that I couldn't pay attention because of my pain. I looked at him weakly as I saw his lips move. Unfortunately for me, I was seeing double, "Jay-kun . . ."

"Shun, don't worry. I'm here for you and so are our Dueling Spirits. Just tell me what's happening to you so I can help," Jaden made a grab for my shoulder but then he drew back his hand, "What's going on?! That is definitely not normal!"

I knew what was happening. It had happened to me when I was five years old, nearly eleven years ago. And, that time, I . . . Just to make sure, I looked at my hand, my breath shortening as I noticed that it had happened yet again. I bit my lip, seeing how my hand was currently like.

My hand was transparent, like a ghost.

_This must be the worst case ever_, I thought to myself, _unless I count _that_ time_ _. . . The time I nearly fell into that other realm_ . . . Jaden grabbed my hand, "This ain't normal for anyone! What's going on?! Shun! Answer me! Can you hear me! Stay with me, here!"

"I'll . . . be fine . . ." I whispered softly, whimpering slightly in pain. Jaden grabbed my hand tightly, as if that would keep me from falling. Still, I understood his reasoning. He thought he could keep me attached to this world. Even though others had tried to do that, I knew that wouldn't cut it. I smiled mentally. I had met – and befriended – a great guy. I was glad for that.

The door burst open loudly, causing my eyes to wander over there while Jaden turned to see who it was. Maggie, Hikaru and Chazz were in the doorway, glancing at me and my current state. Not wasting any more time as my hands started slightly vanishing, they started making their way to me.

'_Shun! Shun_!' Maggie cried for me, her distress evident through her shining eyes and cracking voice. She floated near me, to Jaden's right, biting her lower lip in obvious anguish, '_I'm here! I'm here_!'

Chazz and Hikaru dropped to the ground next to me. Hikaru pulled something from his pocket, looking at my current state yet again. I wasn't that surprised. I probably looked terrible, "Here! We found this under the floorboards!"

He placed something familiar into my hands. I gasped, sighing as the pain vanished. My hands slowly started to turn solid, my color returning along with it. I coughed again, grasping what I had tightly in my hands.

"It's stopped. . ." I said, smiling.

"What was that?" Chazz asked, sighing inaudibly at my sudden return to normal. I was right. He was cold and silent in the outside but he had a heart of gold buried deep inside. He really was like Seto-kun . . .

'_**What will you tell them**_**?'** A voice asked inside my head. A very familiar voice that I had heard since my childhood and learned of the existence of Duel Spirits.

'_**I don't know**_**.' **I admitted to him,** '**_**I mean, what can I say, Chaos? I hate lying but they might not believe the truth. Seeing Duel Spirits is one thing. My curse . . . my gift, whatever . . . that's another story. Even Yugi was skeptical about this, until that incident when I nearly vanished into the other realm**_**.'**

'_**You have to find a way, Shun**_**,' **Chaos told me,** '**_**Lie to them even if you hate to do so. If you think they won't accept you, we can always leave this place. The mission could be abandoned**_**-.'**

'_**No**_**,' **I said, determined,** '**_**We can't give up on that. And you know it. It has been our mission for years. After what it did all those years ago, I can't forgive them . . . Grandpa . . . This is the first lead we've had of them since that dreaded day. It's been tearing us apart. If this is where it is at, we'll find it and end it**_**.'**

'_**Alright then. However, try to find a way to convince your new friends. It'll be hard to make them believe you, whether you tell them the truth or not. Humans tend to not understand**_**.'**

'_**Agreed. Don't worry about it, Chaos. I'll come up with something to convince them. That's something Joey-kun taught me, if you recall. Besides, these aren't regular humans. They're no ordinary Duelists either. They're Spirit Duelists, humans with the ability to see the spirits. They're more bound to believe me than anyone else**_**.'**

'_**How will you proceed**_**?'**

'_**I'll make it out as a joke**_**.' **I said simply, my face as calm as Seto-kun's: a trait I learned from him that I was now currently using to my advantage.

'_**And what will you do if they don't believe you**_**?' **Chaos asked me, wanting to see if my plan was as simple as I made it out to be.

I chewed at my inner cheek, knowing what I'd have to do**, '**_**I'll have no choice but tell the truth, even if that is much more harder to comprehend**_** . . .'**

After what I felt were minutes but were actually seconds in the outside of my mind, I finally looked at them. Chazz looked at me impatiently for my response, worry and concern hidden well behind his eyes. Hikaru's eyes were filled with worry, probably afraid if I might have a life-threatening condition which I did. Jaden's eyes were filled with naked fear, worry, sorrow and concern. He didn't even bother to hide his feelings. He wore his heart on his sleeve, just like Yugi did. Again, I felt blessed I had such a good friend.

I cracked a small smile for their expense, even though none of them smiled back, "That? It was nothing at all! I'm fine, aren't I? Fine as a fiddle! I was just trying to scare ya! Hahaha, you fell for it! You guys looked hilarious!"

Jaden looked at me, his eyes looking frantic. I mentally cringed when we made eye contact. He was making me feel horrible. Those emotions swirling in those bright brown orbs were probably enough to disarm even the toughest man with a heart of steel. Unfortunately for me, my heart was soft like a Watapon's fur. Meaning it was easy to make me feel really bad.

"Don't lie to us, Shun," Jaden said and I winced at his sad tone, "We know that wasn't a prank and you really were vanishing. So just come clean and tell us what's going on."

"I agree with Jay," Hikaru added in and I cringed, feeling Hikaru's worry through his voice, "Tell us, Shun. What happened to you?"

_They're good_, I thought. I sighed, "Okay, okay. You got me. There is something wrong with me. It's not an illness or disease the world has ever heard of. In fact, it could be that I'm the only one diagnosed with this problem."

"What is it?" Hikaru asked curiously, both Chazz and Jaden looking at me with matching faces of curiosity (which was odd considering they didn't even look alike in any way possible . . .)

I cleared my throat awkwardly, "Well, it's a really long story. I guess I'll have to start from the beginning . . ."

**Anime: Done! I am so proud of myself that I didn't have a long writer's block!**

**Shun: Did I just nearly die, Anime-sama?!**

**Anime: Well, duh. It helps with the plot.**

**Hikaru: The reason Shun nearly died is because-. *Jaden covers Hikaru's mouth***

**Jaden: We can't tell! That'll be told in the next chapter!**

**Haou: Read and review or I'll set Jehu on you.**

**Jehu: You didn't let me free last time, Haou . . .**

**Haou: We had a review last time.**

**Jesse: Don't release Jehu!**

**Anime: How did Jesse get in here?**

**Jaden: I don't know . . . *walks away innocently***

**Chazz: *sighs* Read and review. Flames will be given to our Pyro-Duelist Hikaru. **


	3. Chapter 3: The Gift

**Jaden: Sorry for the delay! The library was closed in Anime's high school all week, then she had Thanksgiving week and, almost all week, she was busy with state exams! **

**Anime: I'm not obsessed with Spiritshipping. . . I'm not obsessed with Spiritshipping. . . I'm not obsessed with Spiritshipping . . . Waaaaah! I can't stop! I'm in love with it!**

**Shun: Anime-sama, what's Spiritshipping?**

**Jaden: Yeah! What is that?**

**Jehu: Spiritshipping is Jaden x Jesse.**

**Jaden: That's a real thing?!**

**Anime: It sounds really cute! You guys are meant to be! One of my top three yaoi couples! I support it so much. I like Rivalshipping (Chazz x Jaden), SelfShipping (Haou x Jaden), DarkSpiritshipping (Haou x Jehu) and Heroshipping (Aster x Jaden) but I adore Spiritshipping! I'll probably write some here (I already have some in the works). I'll have my top 10 Spiritshipping fics on the bottom!**

**Jesse: I'm honored you like it.**

**Yugi: Ahem. . . Anime. . . Forgetting something?**

**Anime: Oh! Ranting about Spiritshipping! *coughs* It's time to rant about Demon's new fic and the author of the year: PeachWater! *cheering in the background***

**Hikaru: Thank you for your kind reviews, PeachWater! This entire chapter is dedicated to you!**

**Haou: Read PeachWater's **_**Little Miss Werlock**_** if you like Harry Potter. Raise her popularity because she deserves it and so much more!**

**Chazz: Also, ****Demons of the arch angel**** a.k.a Demon has made her own fic! It's called PokeFailure and it's about a girl who's been experimented on, turning her half Pokémon! Talk about it not being a cliché!**

**Anime: This chapter deals with Shun's past and his "gift". It's odd so don't get lost. Anyways, I don't own anything related to Yu-Gi-Oh! If I did, I'd have enough money to make fictional and anime characters come to life and marry Sora. Ahh. One can only dream . . . **

"**Thousands of years ago, people were very bored because card games hadn't been invented yet. So in order to pass the time, they started killing each other with magical powers."**

**-LittleKuriboh (Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Abridged Movie)**

"Talking" – regular communication

_Talking_ - thinking

'_Talking'_ – Duel Spirits communication

'_**Talking'**_ – Duel Spirits telepathic communication

3: The Curse/ Gift

_I cleared my throat awkwardly, "Well, it's a really long story. I guess I'll have to start from the beginning . . ."_

I laid a hand on my Deck, gazing at it affectionately, "It all began about thirteen years ago. I was three years old when I found out I could see Duel Spirits. My parents weren't that surprised: after all, my older cousin also had the ability like his father and my mother, a trait we had inherited from our grandfather, who inherited from his grandfather and so on and so forth."

As none of them had interrupted me, I continued with my tale, the tale of my dreaded curse, "I realized I could see duel spirits when I was walking aimlessly around, exploring my grandfather's shop. A little spirit called Aqua Spirit had appeared and she had played with me until my cousin found me, surprised at seeing the spirit and the fact I could see it too."

I started patting Kuriboh's head as he leaned on my shoulder, as if supporting me. Talking about my curse – or gift, whatever – wasn't easy. It had caused me so much pain and suffering. "My mother bought me cards all the time. I once heard her telling my father that she understood what I was going through. Kids who could see Duel Spirits and understand them were usually shunned by their peers, their only companions being those cards.

"Being an only child, that really helped me not feel alone. When I was five years old, my cousin introduced me to the top duelists. Joey-kun, Seto-kun, you name it. It was in that year that everything went wrong. . ." I said as my mind drifted off to _that_ day.

The day that everything took a turn for the worst was a day I could never forget, despite how long ago it had occurred. It was the day I realized I wasn't normal, even by Spirit Duelist standards.

I was in the Game Shop in a warm, sunny afternoon. I was wearing a sleeveless red shirt with a golden outline and black jeans with silver stripes running down the side of the legs. It was a Sunday, a day where school was out.

Mom had told me I could come here if I took my Deck and her favorite card Amazon Archer. She said the spirit would keep me safe and, as long as I had it near, I would be okay. Dad, on the other hand, told me to come home before dinner, which gave me enough time to play in the Game Shop with the other Duel Spirits.

Yugi suddenly came down from the stairs as I had been talking with a cheery Watapon. Instantly, I began to feel nauseous. Amazon Archer felt my distress and rushed to my side, asking me what was wrong. But I couldn't answer her as I didn't know what was wrong with me either.

Yugi turned to me, smiling as he saw me waiting, "Shun? Are you here for some cards? Grandpa went out a little while ago to start dinner. . ." He stopped talking, seeing me grip the counter, "Shun?"

I gave out a cough, "I'm okay, Yu-chan. . ."

Yugi looked at me worriedly, "Shun, you look really pale. Are you okay? You haven't caught anything, right?"

"I'm fine . . ." I started coughing violently, leaning on the counter for support. Yugi touched one of my shoulders, distressed, "Shun! Oh my goodness, what's wrong? Shun, say something!"

I was about to speak when I felt something go up my throat. I opened my mouth only to release bile, coughing so violently that I had fallen to my knees, now coughing out blood and occasionally vomiting. Yugi was yelling for his grandpa, who had arrived to the scene before leaving and calling an ambulance.

The rest was a blur. I recall getting loaded in an ambulance, medics checking what was wrong with me. They hadn't seen something like this before. My condition was bad and no one knew what was wrong with me. I was really scared. They hooked wires into my body and I had an oxygen mask as my breathing was irregular.

"Ngh . . ." I moaned.

Someone was by my bedside. They were talking to me but I heard nothing. All I felt was _that_ pain. Unbearable pain. All I knew was pain. My memories of that day are filled with nothing but pain.

Pain. . .

When it subsided two days later, I was able to finally open my eyes. I was in the hospital, wearing the hospital gown. My mother was in my bedside, sleeping. It was around three in the morning and it was still dark outside.

"Mommy . . .?" I croaked, my voice weak from disuse.

Even so, my voice was heard. My mother's eyes opened and enveloped me in a hug. She was sobbing loudly, to the point where I was sure that the occupants next door could hear her. I had never seen my mother so broken. It was utterly terrifying. I suppose her actions were understandable. After all, she had seen her child nearly die in front of her eyes.

My mother called my father and the others, telling them I was finally awake. She glanced at me, "You gave us all a scare. Yugi was worried."

"Poor Yu-chan . . ." I whispered.

"He was the one to see you collapse like this. It terrified him. He was freaking out." My mother informed me, hands going through my ever spiky hair. I curled closer to her, "I'm sorry. . . I shouldn't have scared all of you like that. . ."

My mother smiled, "It's okay. You're okay now . . ."

"That's it?" Hikaru asked as I stopped speaking for a moment. I sighed and shook my head. Kuriboh leaned on my chest, listening to my rapid heartbeats. I never spoke to anyone about this before.

Those who knew about my "gift" had witnessed it themselves or had heard about it. I hadn't told them what had personally occurred during those dark days. But saying it now . . . I didn't know I had the will to speak about it. I was too weak. My will was too weak. I . . .

'_We're here for you, Shun_.' Maggie whispered.

I took a shaky deep breath. I noticed I was shaking slightly. I must have looked like a frightful mess because Hikaru placed a hand on my left shoulder while Jaden placed his on my right.

"You don't have to continue. . . We understand." Jaden told me reassuringly.

I shook my head, "You deserve to know. After what you saw, I have to tell you what happened. I have to tell you."

It was nine in the morning. My father had come to visit me, telling me that he was worried. He was ranting about things that I don't even recall. Looking back now, I wish I had listened to my father.

Who would've known my father would be dead in five years? If I had known, I would've been listening to every word he and Mother would say, to hear them speak. I had practically forgotten how they sounded.

My father hugged me tightly, my head resting on his chest. I heard his heartbeat, a sound that nearly lulled me to sleep. He rested his chin on top of my head, "I was scared I was going to lose you."

"I'm okay, Daddy." I whispered, looking up at him.

"And I'm glad for it. You know I love you, Shun, and I'm proud of everything you have done and will do. No matter what, you'll still be my son."

I nudged him, "Hey, I'm not dying. You don't have to say that, Dad."

My father smiled, "You're right. I just want you to know that."

I hugged him tightly, snuggling deep into his chest and sighing in contentment, "I already know that. You don't have to tell me. And I love you too, Dad. And I'm happy I have you and Mom by my side. Cause you're always going to be by my side, right?"

Father smiled, "Until the end, Shun. We'll be with you forever. Even if you feel as if we're not."

I stopped again. Why was I. . .? Why did I remember that? Why? I felt a tear roll down my cheek as I recalled my father's words. I hiccupped and Hikaru ran a hand through my hair, whispering softly.

"Don't cry, Shun." Jaden told me, touching my shoulder and giving it a reassuring squeeze. His voice sounded sad, as if he could feel my pain just like I felt it. It hurt for him to feel my pain. It was a burden I shared alone.

"_We'll be with you forever_."

I recalled the day I learned of my parents' deaths. The fiery inferno that consumed the red car my father had proudly bought when he had gotten his recent paycheck working in Industrial Illusions.

The rain that fell from the heavens, as if they could feel my sorrow. The rain mixed in well with my tears, as if helping me so no one could notice. But the loud, mournful sound that came from me was enough to break the silence.

The two black bags that covered the scorched, dead bodies of my beloved parents, who never judged me about my ability to see and speak with Duel Spirits and took care of me whenever my curse got outta hand.

The arm was around my shoulders that belonged to Yugi, who was desperately trying to comfort me while trying to hold his tears back with as much desperation as he had trying to console me.

"Yu-chan." I sobbed, trying to compose myself. But I couldn't stop thinking about how my parents had died, leaving me alone with only two people I could call family. And even that was slowly being taken from me.

"Shun, it's going to be alright." Chazz told me.

I sniffed, "I . . . I'm sorry. I just . . . my parents . . . the accident. . ."

Hikaru stiffened, as if he was recalling a bad memory too, "My twin was hit by a drunk driver two years ago. He might not ever wake up. And his chances of survival are slim."

I looked at him. He smiled at me, but it wasn't as goofy as before. No, this was a sad, shaky smile, one he was using to comfort me. "But we sometimes have to overcome that inner sadness to move forward in life."

I sniffed again and rubbed my eyes. I was still shaking with sobs but the tears had stopped. Both Kuribohs came to comfort me, talking to me in their own language I had learned to understand.

"Thanks, Kuri. You too, Winged Kuriboh." I told them.

Jaden smiled, "You okay, pal?"

"Yeah. It's just that I miss my parents. I know it happened six years but . . . Even talking about it hurts me. I'm sorry."

"You can't help it so there's no point in apologizing." Jaden replied, "Everyone has a sadness they can't help but feel. But that's okay because you can overcome it."

I smiled at his optimism. He had the right idea. Grandfather would often tell me that. I started to believe him . . . and then he died three years ago. Drop dead in front of me. And I was too powerless to stop it.

But now I'm prepared for it.

I shook my head, taking a deep breath, "I have to stop interrupting my story. If I don't, then I'm never gonna finish." I chuckled in an attempt to lighten the mood but it came out sounding weak.

I shook my head and continued from where I picked up.

It was four in the afternoon. Several people had come by to see me, telling me that they were glad I was okay. Joey, Bakura, Tristan, Tea, Serenity, Mai and Duke had come by but not with Yugi.

"He's coming, don't ya worry!" Joey had reassured me when I had asked for him.

I pouted, "Joey-kun, are you sure? He was worried sick about me, after all. I'm awake now and I want to apologize for scaring him like that."

"Yug's probably gonna show up on his own! Don't worry your little head, Shun!" Joey said, ruffling my spiky hair and making it messier than ever before. I smiled, "You're probably right, Jo-kun!"

Joey grinned, "Don't ya worry!"

"I won't, Jo-kun!" I said with a smile.

Tea smiled, "Such an energy ball."

"Energy ball?" I chuckled and Serenity hugged me, "Yup! You're so adorable, Shun! Do you know that?"

"Sere-chan!" I laughed.

At one point, they did leave me alone. Well . . . I wasn't completely alone. I was in the hospital room with my Deck, playing with my Spirit companions. I felt something nudge my head. I looked up to see a Watapon.

"Hiyah, Watapon!" I giggled gleefully.

Watapon placed itself on my lap and I began to stroke its hair. Well. . . sorta. How could I touch a spirit when I was made out of flesh and blood? But, at the time, I didn't care. I was just happy with it.

'_Shun-nii_!' A Toon Dark Magician Girl cried out, nudging my head. I looked up at her and she saw me with sympathetic eyes, '_Shun-nii, you nearly left us! You scared us! We were going to be alone_!'

The small Toon monster burst into tears. I grinned at her, patting her shoulder, "Toon DMG, I would never leave you guys! You're my closest friends!"

She looked up, faint traces of tears in her eyes, '_Really_?'

"Yeah, really!" I told her.

She launched herself at me, '_Don't you ever, ever, ever, ever, ever forget about us, even if you do make normal friends_!'

"I won't!" I promised her, hugging her tightly. Watapon told her something and she pouted, '_I wanna be with Shun-nii_!'

"You could both be with me!" I told her happily. She turned to me, holding me tightly. She shooed the Watapon away, '_Mine! I was his card first! Therefore, he loves me more than you_!'

Watapon growled and I laughed, "Guys, I love you both! No need to fight! Besides, Toon DMG, I've had-."

Both were no longer paying attention to me. They were staring each other down, sparks flying between them. I sighed, "Toon DMG, Watapon, could you both listen to me? I don't favor any-."

'_Come on, furball! I'll take you on_!' Toon Dark Magician Girl cried, swinging her scepter at the Watapon. Watapon screeched and fled, the angry Toon monster after it. I started laughing. This was exactly like the cartoons I watched back home!

It was fun until Watapon was cornered in the door.

Toon Dark Magician Girl raised her scepter high into the air. With a loud 'Hi-yah!', she brought it down on Watapon. Watapon screeched and moved out of the way. But the scepter did hit something.

"Oww!"

Standing on the open doorway, rubbing his head where Toon DMG had hit him with her scepter, was Yugi Muto. Watapon and Toon Dark Magician Girl squeaked and went behind me. I gasped, "Yu-chan!"

"What hit me?"

I looked behind me to see that the offending Duel Spirit was gone, along with Watapon. I scratched my head, "Toon DMG. . ."

Yugi sighed, still rubbing his head to get over the hit, "I should've known. Pegasus's Toon Monsters. . . . I knew you shouldn't have gotten them until you were at least ten or something."

"Yeah but it was cool that he gave me them!" I said.

Yugi smiled, "They're right. Even after that horrible episode, you're still that ball of energy that we all know and love."

Yugi approached my bed. He was wearing a sleeveless black shirt with black cuffs on each wrist like a punker. He was wearing dark black jeans with chains hanging from his pockets. He was wearing a studded black belt where his deck was currently hanging from. Around his neck was a black collar similar to his black cuffs. and a chain necklace holding his important treasure: the Millennium Puzzle.

As he approached me, I felt it again. My hand quickly found my mouth and I began to make awful sounds. Yugi's eyes widened, "Shun-."

I grabbed the sides of the bed and turned my head, retching painfully. Yugi was by my side instantly, "Shun! It's happening again! What's going on-?!"

I released more bile. My eyes widened as I saw that it wasn't stomach acid anymore. I had thrown up blood. And there was so much blood. Blood. Blood. Blood. So much of it . . .

I started falling but Yugi caught me, "Not this again!"

I looked at him. Pain was clearly shown in his eyes. Why was he in pain? He could see what was happening to me but he couldn't feel it. He didn't deserve to feel this pain. It was my burden to share. Not anyone else. No one should suffer through this. No one . . .

"I'm sorry, Yu-chan." I said as I felt my vision slowly turning darker. Yugi pressed me against him, "It's gonna be okay. You're going to be okay-."

He was interrupted by the loud sounds my monitors were making. I took a glance at my heart monitor and saw it was spiking, going way to fast to be normal. Yugi looked frantically at me, "Help! Someone help!"

He clicked the aid button several times but it wasn't responding. He continued to scream for help as I began to hyperventilate. No one was coming. Perhaps no one would come.

Was I . . . going to . . . die?

I didn't want to die. I was too scared of what might happen to me if I did. I didn't want to die. Not here. Not now. I didn't want to leave a guilty looking Yugi behind, thinking that it was his fault for not saving me.

I reached out for Yugi . . . and passed through his shoulder. Yugi's amethyst eyes were wide and he cried for help again. I took a glance at my hand to see. . . . I screamed in utter terror.

My left arm was gone.

There was nothing there. It was as if I was vanishing from here, similar to holograms after a Duel. But I was human! How could this be happening to me? Why was this happening to me?

'_**Why**_**?!'**

My eyes widened at the new voice, even though there was no one else but Yugi and I. The voice sounded ancient, old, powerful, cruel and stern. Since I was a child, I found it scary and I wanted to tremble and run away from it. And yet . . . another part of me told me it sounded so sorrowful. As if it was in pain, just like me.

'_**Why are we used by humans**_**?'**

'_**Why do they take advantage of our power for their own wicked ends**_**?'**

'_**Why do we live like this**_**?'**

The three ancient voices sounded so sad as they spoke. Not knowing why, I shed a couple of tears for them. It wasn't fair for them. It just wasn't. They sounded so sad, so neglected, so pained.

So alone.

"Lonely." I gasped out.

Yugi gave me a look, "What?"

"The three voices. . . they're lonely. They feel . . . as if they're only used . . . for power. They feel . . . neglected. They're . . . used for . . . evil purposes. They . . . don't want that." I said between gasps of breath.

"Three . . .?"

Yugi quickly dug into his Deck box that was hanging from his pocket. He started going through cards, almost as if in a frenzy.

As he searched, I heard the three voices crying out again. I whimpered and nearly collapsed if Yugi hadn't had his arm around me, holding me tightly to him. I shut my eyes tightly, clenching my fists.

'_**Why must we live like this**_**?'**

'_**Why don't they suffer like this**_**?'**

'_**Why are we treated like this**_**?'**

_Stop_, I thought to the voices as tears rolled down my cheeks. _Don't you know that I'm listening to you? I'm trying to reach out to help. I'm here! I'm here for you! I understand. I want to help. You just have to ask_ . . .

'_**Why won't anyone listen**_**?'**

Yugi grabbed something from his Deck. At this, the voices got extremely sad and painful to hear. I cried out in pain as I felt the most horrible headache humankind has ever suffered.

"Stop it! Stop the pain!" My voice sounded almost like a whisper, despite the fact I was screaming with all my might.

'_**Why won't anyone understand our pain**_**?' **

"I understand it!" I cried out, a bit louder than before. My throat burned as I practically screamed my lungs out. I was sobbing, hyperventilating, dizzy, exhausted, weak and still feeling nausea.

"Shun?" Yugi asked.

"I understand that you're used for evil things!" I choked out painfully, my small shoulders shaking, "I understand people take advantage of your power! I understand that you don't want to live like this. I understand that you're not treated right! I understand that no one will listen! I understand everything!"

The voices seemed to have stopped for a moment. I clenched Yugi's shirt tightly, feeling myself slipping from consciousness, "But . . . how can other people understand if you won't talk to them? You have to talk too. If you don't, how will we hear if there's nothing to listen to?"

'_**You understand our pain**_**?'**

I nodded, "Yes. Please . . . it's okay. I'm here too. We're all here. We're here to help. You just . . . have to ask for it. Otherwise, we won't ever understand your pain. I don't want you . . . to feel so alone. . ."

Yugi placed something in my right hand. My mind cleared itself from its dizziness and headache. My breathing was no longer uneven and ragged. The monitors suddenly returned to normal.

I wasn't as exhausted or weak as before. My throat still hurt due to the fact that I had thrown up, screamed and sobbed excessively. And my eyes stung because of my tears that were still coming down.

Yugi hugged me, "You're okay. . ."

I looked at my left arm to see that it was there again. It seemed as if it had never vanished. I sobbed and Yugi stroked my hair, "Shhh. It's okay, Shun."

"Yugi-nii." I sobbed, clinging tightly to his shirt and burying my face deep within it, "They were really sad, Yugi-nii. No one felt their pain. They were crying out for people to hear them. But no one would listen! No one cared! They just wanted . . . They just wanted someone to understand."

Yugi nodded, "They have been misused, Shun. They've been used by dark forces for such a long time. And no one uses them unless it's for power. No one truly understands them. Perhaps even I don't understand them."

I looked at him, "Yugi-nii? Who were the voices?"

He looked at my hand, "Why don't you find out for yourself, Shun? After all, you're holding them in your hands right now."

"I . . ."

I looked down to see that I was holding cards in my hands. I blinked, confused. I turned them around and my eyes widened. I looked up to see Yugi, "Are they . . .? Yu-chan, is this true? Are they . . .?"

Yugi nodded, "It's true, Shun."

I looked down at the cards, "I'm sorry for your misfortune. I want you to know that I'm here for all of you. I don't care that you're really powerful. You have feelings too. And you need people to understand that, too."

The cards in my hands were the strongest cards I had ever heard of. Looking back into that memory, I shouldn't have been that surprised. After hearing about their history, I sympathized greatly with them. Especially after feeling their pain.

In my hands were the three Egyptian God Cards.

"That day is one that I can never forget. I stopped being an ordinary child, an ordinary Duelist, and an ordinary Spirit Duelist. I was a special child, one born with a gift. While most kids leapt at the chance at being special, I didn't want to be."

I drew my knees in, hugged them tightly, and let my chin rest there, "I . . . I never wanted this gift. Pegasus told me that it was really cool that I had a gift that could benefit spirits. But I didn't want it. But it wasn't something I could just give away. It was something I just had. I couldn't just get rid of it, no matter how hard I tried."

Hikaru's eyes looked as if he wanted to cry, "Oh, Shun."

"So, you feel the pain and suffering of a card." Jaden stated.

I nodded, "Yeah. Whenever I'm near a card, or cards, that are suffering, I feel it too. It's a beneficial gift but it hurts so much. . . I guess you can compare the pain to a near death experience. It feels so much like you're about to die from all the pain . . . and there's nothing you can do about it."

I buried my face in my knees, shaking softly. It was something I had the habit of doing since I learned about my gift that day. It was my way of keeping to myself, burying everything deep inside of me and not allowing anyone to come near me and seeing the pain and suffering that I carried of others and myself. It was a way to shield my pain and to hide from the pain.

It was the only thing I knew to protect myself from everything. The pain, the suffering, the voices. I hid away from it all.

Jaden placed a hand on my shoulder and tried to make eye-contact with me, "It's okay, Shun! Don't you worry about this! You're not alone in this! We're here for you. You don't have to suffer through this alone."

"Jay's right! We're with you all of the way! So stop crying! We won't let you fall!" Hikaru announced, placing his hand in my free shoulder. I knew that he had a wide grin on his mouth and this one was genuine, rather than the sad one he had given me earlier. They were . . . trying to cheer me up.

I looked up to see them completely, feeling my walls slowly coming down the way that the Berlin Wall had collapsed years ago, "R-really? Will you . . . be with me . . . through all of this?"

Chazz nodded while Jaden and Hikaru responded with a "Yeah!"

"I . . ." I felt like I had ridden an emotional rollercoaster ride for days and I was finally allowed to be released from it. I was an overly emotional person without this happening to me . . . .

"We'll be with you no matter what! And that's a promise!" Jaden told me. That's when I broke, releasing all of my pent-up feelings. It felt as if someone had constructed a dam to hide my feelings and that these three had broken through, allowing everything to run free.

"Thank you . . . thank you . . . thank you. . ." I got out before I burst into tears. Jaden and Hikaru got me in a hug as I sobbed into Jaden's chest. I didn't feel Chazz come close to us but I could tell that he did care.

What had I done to deserve such great friends? I wondered as the two Slifers comforted me. All I ever did was help Dueling Spirits. I hadn't ever helped humans. So how was it that these Duelists befriended me? How had I been blessed with such great friends?

"It's going to be okay." Hikaru told me.

"Thank you. Thank you." I kept repeating, as if it was a chant. I needed to thank them. Thank them for listening, for understanding, for being such great friends. But I couldn't get the words out. So I kept repeating my thanks, hoping they'd understand.

**Anime: Aaaaand there! Done! How was that?**

**Shun: Angst, much?**

**Hikaru: Yeah! That nearly killed the Beyblade OC's that you're planning on putting in a new fic! *sobbing in the background***

**Anime: Sorry, you guys!**

**Jaden: You better be sorry!**

**Anime: I am! Just don't kill me!**

**Kai: We promise nothing.**

**Anime: E-Eh?! O.o How did you get in here? This isn't your fandom!**

**Shun: We're now in deviantart too! Anime's account is Anime-ROTGD-39! She's already posted my picture and will soon post Hikaru! ^.^**

**Jaden: Read and review, please! Flames will be given to our Pyro Duelist Hikaru . . . or Dranzer will get them because it looks like Anime is getting kidnapped by the Beyblade cast. . .**

**Anime: *being dragged away* Help!**

**R & R please!**

**And here's the list I promised:**

**Spiritshipping Fanfictions (my summaries of the summaries):**

King's Clone by CendrithePyroQueen: Judai is the magically created clone of King Haou whose sole purpose of existing is to be by the King's side. Judai wishes for freedom and escapes every day in hopes of leaving the castle. During one of those times, he meets Johan and falls in love with him. But how will he fair when the king is still after him?** Beautiful but . . . incomplete! Noooo! **

9. Love is Blind by serina-phantom: Johan returns to North Academy after confessing to Judai that he loves him. Not long after, he's called into Duel Academy as Judai has fallen into a coma! When he finally awakens, he's blind! Is it due to the coma or . . . something else? ** Complete. Holy Hades, I loved this so much. It's just so cute! And I loved the usage of the original characters. **

8. Breaking Apprehension by Nicole Blaire: Johan Anderson, a great musician, is still broken hearted about the death of his former lover Yusei. Instead of showing his pain, he hides it by pretending to be a bad boy. But what happens when Judai Yuki falls for him? Will Johan let go of his past or will he cling to those old memories?** Complete. Such a great story. Had me nearly in tears. There's a song for practically every chapter and they fit the story so well! **

7. Mary's Play House by serina-phantom: Do the Bloody Mary dare! I dare ya! When Judai is asked to do the Bloody Mary dare, he gets haunted by the ghost who's convinced that he is her son who was killed 30 years ago. Can Johan save him before the ghost drags him into death with her?** Complete. This had me at my edge of my seat. I've never read a story like this so I loved this! **

6. COMATOSE by Emerald Twin Blade: Named after Skillet's song Comatose. When Johan goes back home, Judai get really depressed. Suddenly, he starts showing symptoms of something that might . . . wait, what?! He's fallen comatose? How will he get better without Johan?** Complete. Beautiful story that made me feel so many feels!**

5. His Majesty's Dog by animehime20: Based on the manga '_Her Majesty's Dog'_. Judai's a powerful psychic who can control people by knowing their names and Johan's his guardian demon who's power is fueled from Judai's . . .kiss? And when Judai lets his 'dog' off the leash, no evil spirit or monster is safe!** Incomplete. Just. Read. It. Really funny at times, serious too, and with an awesome plot.**

4. Life And Death Within by Jewel1001: Not to be confused for a Twilight parody. What if Jaden was pregnant with Jesse's child and the pregnancy was slowly killing him? Can he and the child survive childbirth or succumb to the realm of death? MPreg.** Complete. My first MPreg and I'm glad it was. It had me near tears! Ooooh.**

3. Johan and Judai's 20 Ways to Annoy Your Teachers by Monkey and Cookie: Johan and Judai do some crazy stuff in their first year of high school and their poor high school teachers are the ones that suffer.** Complete. This was really hilarious! I couldn't stop laughing! And Jehu and Haou make an appearance in this one too! **

2. The White Knight by O.o. Belt.O.o.O: It all began when Judai went to his friend's home. Who would've expected he would be kidnapped and taken to another world to keep the king there happy? And who is the one they call the White Knight?** Complete. This was so beautiful and funny and then my heart was destroyed in the ending. I've never wanted to cry so badly before!**

1. The Other Jesse by serina-phantom: Based of the 2009 movie '_Coraline'_. Jaden stumbles into the Other World and meets the Other versions of his friends, including an Other of his boyfriend: Other Jesse. But it becomes a nightmare when the Other Jesse refuses to let Jaden go, and captures the real Jesse! Will Jaden ever return home?** FAVORITE OF ALL TIME! It's complete too! It's a lovely story, lovely plot and, so beautiful! If you're a Spiritshipping fan, READ IT!**


	4. Chapter 4: The Other Students

**Anime: Hello! And I'm back with Chapter 4 of Dueling Legend! **

**Shun: Anime-sama, can I ask you a question?**

**Anime: Go shoot, Shun!**

**Shun: *hiccups* Is my last name from the new Yu-Gi-Oh! Series: Arc-V?**

**Anime: . . .**

**Jaden: Um . . .**

**Anime: THOSE JAPANESE PEOPLE STOLE THAT LAST NAME FROM ME! RAWR! TEXAS RAGE! *flips a random table* IT SUCKS!**

**Hikaru: Enlighten us.**

**Anime: *takes a deep breath* Okay. I made the original story of Dueling Legend in March 19 of this year. I had like three chapters all nicely written for it, right? Then . . . my little brother broke my pin drive, making me lose my other fanfictions and my original stories! I decided to rewrite my stories (oh, my poor original Dueling Legend format!). Although, I'm a bit happy with this new version because all of the early secrets would've been discovered!**

**Chazz: You're straying from the story.**

**Anime: Right! Well, I decide to look up stuff from Yu-Gi-Oh!, reading about the original, GX, 5D's and Zexal. Then I discover that made the recent one of Arc-V! Then, I see the protagonist name: Yuya Sakaki. Sakaki! My OC's last name that I had discovered! I was devastated! However, I came up with it first (I think) so I'm not removing it!**

**All: *anime drop***

**Chazz: Anime does not own anything related to Yu-Gi-Oh! She's obviously not our creator. But she is a Spiritshipping and Heroshipping fan which is why, somehow, she will make Aster and Jesse appear even though this is technically the second year and only Aster shows up.**

**Anime: But I like Jesse! He's possibly my future son-in-law! And it's AU-ish! Oh, many OC's will show up, along with Blair because I like her and there will be mentions of Aster and Jesse. Cause I love those two. Now, enough of my babbling, to the story!**

"**Tests are the enemy, Syrus!"**

**Jaden Yuki (Yu-Gi-Oh! GX)**

"Talking" – regular communication

_Talking_ - thinking

'_Talking'_ – Duel Spirits communication

'_**Talking'**_ – Duel Spirits telepathic communication

4: The Other Students

I woke up to see that I was in my bed. I wondered a little of how I got there until I remembered what had happened. I blushed scarlet. They must think I'm really weak, breaking down like that!

I sat up in bed, "I'm not gonna show weakness!"

I smiled happily and jumped out of bed. I took a glance at the clock, "Ah, it's ten in the morning. What a nice way to start the morning." I hummed happily as I started making my bed.

Wait.

Pause.

Rewind.

10 in the morning?!

"I'm laaaaaaaaaaaaate!" I yelled. I removed my pajamas that I had put on last night. I rummaged through my shirts, putting on a black turtleneck shirt and black jeans. I put on my designated Slifer boots . . . on the wrong sides!

"Gah!" I yelled, taking them off and then putting them in their rightful sides. I searched for my Slifer Red jacket and slipped it on. I grabbed my Deck, "I'm late, I'm late, I'm late, I'm late!"

'_Oooh_!' Maggie giggled, materializing as I hastily combed my ever spiky hair, '_My little Shun is late for his first day to class! My baby, now officially a rebel. I'm so proud of you! You're all grown up_!'

"Why didn't you wake me up?!" I gasped out.

Maggie pondered about it, '_Well, you looked really cute in your sleep and you got emotionally and mentally exhausted yesterday. I think you deserved to sleep. Besides, it's not my priority. Why didn't your roommates wake you up_?'

I stayed silent at that, thinking, "You're right, Maggie. You're absolutely right. They didn't wake me up . . ."

I lowered my head slightly. Maggie stiffened at my pose, '_Umm. . . Shun? A-are you okay? S-Shun? Are you there_?'

I lifted my head and she squeaked. I raised a fist, "HIKARU! JADEN! YOU BOTH ARE GOING TO FEEL MY WRATH! AS SOON AS I GET MY HANDS ON YOU BOTH, I SWEAR YOU'LL WISH YOU NEVER MET ME! TO THINK I SHARED MY DEEPEST SECRETS WITH YOU!"

'_C-calm down, Shun_ . . .'

I opened the door, "Gotta run! Later!"

I left the room, closed the room and began to run. My first day and I was late already? Great! I'm never going to live this down! Oh, why hadn't I set up an alarm? Why hadn't anyone woken me up? I can't believe I'm late!

**Meanwhile in class**

"Hey, Jay?" Hikaru whispered to the Slifer to his right. Jaden was resting his head on both hands, looking bored already. He yawned slightly before turning to his fellow Slifer classmate, "Yeah?"

"I feel as if we forgot something."

Jaden thought about it, "Maybe . . . our homework?"

"Nah, I know I left mine in the desk along with yours. And I haven't even started on the first page of it. No, Jay . . . something more important than that. . . I just don't know what." Hikaru pondered.

A paper hit Jaden in the back of his head and fell to the ground. The two Slifers exchanged looks before Hikaru reached down to grab it. With Jaden keeping a lookout for the teacher, Hikaru whispered, "It's from Chazz."

Jaden turned to the Slifer that had the note, reading it quickly, "Well, Hikaru? What does it say?"

"It says . . . Where's Shun?"

Silence. Both of them stared at the note for the longest time. They read it again then for a third time, taking time to process the question. When it finally sunk in, the silence in the classroom was disturbed.

"WE FORGOT ABOUT SHUN!"

"What was the class number again? I swear," I asked myself, digging into my pockets for the class schedule that I had, luckily, remembered to grab. I was running through the building without a care. After all, there was no one walking around or patrolling the hallways.

"Okay . . . Then, in here!" I cried out, stopping at the door. I sighed deeply and opened it slightly. I peeked my head in and took a step in. Maybe the teacher wouldn't notice and I'd take a seat . . .

"Sir, there's a student coming in!"

Great.

The teacher looked up from his paper. He looked to be around his forties with black hair streaked with gray and cold gray eyes hidden behind black glasses. He frowned upon seeing me, "Oh, so you've finally decided to make it to my class, have you? Well, I have zero tolerance for tardiness, young man. And you're a Slifer, no less! What's your name?"

I entered the room and stood straight as if I was in the military, blushing beet red as several of the students were starting at me, "My name is Shun Sakaki, Sensei!"

"Just what we'd expect of a Slifer slacker!" Someone yelled and I looked down in embarrassment as people laughed at me. This was worse than a regular high school! Bullies. I've met them all of my life so I wasn't a stranger to them. But most bullies weren't Duelists. . .

'_They dare to ridicule you, Shun_?!' A familiar voice by my side hissed. My eyes widened as I recognized Pandora's voice. She scoffed, glaring at all the laughing students, '_Do I get rid of them for you_?'

"No." I whispered so only she could hear me, "It's okay-."

"So you're the new student, then?" The teacher asked, interrupting me from my conversation. I nodded, "Yes, Sensei."

He sighed, "Alright then. You're new here so I'll let it slide for now. However, if this happens again, Sakaki . . ."

He let the threat hang in the air. I gulped uncomfortably. I knew what he was saying. I nodded and bowed politely at him, "Thank you very much, Sensei. I promise not to do it again."

"My name is Mr. Akeno Kato. Now, take a seat. There's two open seats for you. You can sit next to Yuki and Amiya or next to Yami. Take your pick. Either way, you'll be sitting next to Slifers."

I looked up to see Hikaru and Jaden grinning at me, waving uncomfortably as soon as we made eye contact. I frowned at them and they both jumped to attention, as if I had startled them.

I shook my head at them and walked up the steps, sitting on Hikaru's left. As soon as he tried to look at him, I gave him one of my weak glares. Despite the fact that it was weak, he flinched. I focused on the teacher. I was going to give them Hell later.

"Shuuuuuuun! We said we're sorry!" Hikaru droned out, clinging to one of my legs. Jaden had grabbed one of my hands and held on to it as I walked. I sighed, dragging both Slifers as I walked.

"We forgot, okay?" Jaden whined.

Chazz walked by my side, watching the two Slifers with an unamused smirk. I turned to him, "Would you please tell them to let me go?"

"I'm enjoying their suffering at the moment," Chazz smirked.

I sighed, still walking to the cafeteria while dragging two Slifers behind me. Both of them kept saying their apologies, their voices extremely loud.

When we reached the cafeteria, almost all of the conversations stopped upon seeing me dragging the two near bawling Slifers. I stared at the onlookers for a long time then waved at them with my free hand, "Hello."

"Aniki!"

Two boys came running towards me, standing up from a table where other people were currently sitting. Both of them were wearing Ra Yellow blazers. The shortest one had light blue hair and spectacles that were underneath gray eyes. He was wearing gray pants and a dark turtleneck red shirt.

The other was darker than the smaller Ra student. His jacket was open and with no sleeves, revealing a green muscle shirt and a necklace with dinosaur bones. He had white wristbands with matching bands just above his feet. He was wearing combat boots and beige combat pants. His long dark hair was in dreadlocks that was mostly covered in a bandanna featuring a dinosaur face and bone earrings. His eyes seemed to be dark brown. I was slightly intimidated by his large arms. How much can he carry?!

Jaden looked at them, "Hey, Sy. Hey, Hassleberry."

"Who's this?" The short Ra – Syrus – asked, pointing at me.

I smiled, doing an awkward bow as Jaden and Hikaru were still clinging to me, "I am Shun Sakaki! I transferred here to Duel Academy yesterday. As you can tell by the blazer, I'm in the Slifer Red dorm! I'm sharing with Hikaru and Jaden!"

"I'm Syrus Truesdale and this is Tyranno Hassleberry."

"What's wrong with the Sarge and Corporal Amiya?" Hassleberry asked, speaking with a Southern accent. Chazz snickered before walking away. I smiled at him politely, "I do not know what's wrong with them. They were feeling fine this morning. In fact, they woke up _early_ today."

Upon seeing my facial expression, Hikaru and Jaden both gulped, eyes widening and turning pale. I directed my attention at the two Ra students, "Because I'm new here, you don't mind me sitting with you guys, I hope?"

"Not at all!" Syrus said warmly, "Any friend of Jaden is ours!"

"We're sorryyyyy!" Hikaru suddenly cried out.

"Get a hold of yourself, Corporal Amiya!" Hassleberry told the Slifer that was still clinging to my leg. Hikaru looked up, blue eyes shining with the tears that were threatening to fall. He hiccupped, "D-d-don't you like us, Shun?"

I felt one of my eyebrows twitch. That Amiya! He knew I was a sensitive person! Seeing someone so close to tears made me want to cry. Obviously, that was the plan that both he and Jaden had cooked up so I could forgive them.

Jaden looked at me with teary chocolate brown eyes. I flinched. No, no, no, my resolve was breaking. No, I couldn't let them break me. I had made a silent promise that I would be tough to break and-.

"Why do you hate us, Shun?" Jaden asked.

And my resolve to be tough was broken. Instantly, I enveloped them in a tight hug, "I'm sorry I made you guys cry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I forgive you both but don't cry! I'm a terrible person!"

"Okay!"

"Thanks for forgiving us!"

Wait a minute.

Huh?

I looked to see that Hikaru and Jaden were both grinning widely. Hadn't they been crying earlier? Did these two . . . act?! I can't believe it! I stared at them, "You . . .! You tricked me!"

"It was all of Jay's idea!" Hikaru said with a wide grin, clasping his hands together and swaying, "We knew you'd crack!"

"You . . .! How dare you!" I cried out.

Jaden laughed, patting my shoulder and leaning on it, "It's really not your fault, Shun. We're very convincing actors. We did this to Zane and Chazz last year. It was really fun!"

I walked away from them, my cheeks burning. I couldn't believe them! I open up to them that one time and they use my sensitive heart against me! I ignored their cries of my name and sat down next to a smirking Chazz, head held up high in the air and with closed eyes.

"Shun!" Hikaru and Jaden cried out in unison.

"Hmph! To think I was about to share my lunch with you!" I grumbled, crossing my arms in front of me, still not looking at them, "Guess I'm not gonna Duel any of you when the time comes."

"What?! After we saw your awesome monsters, you can't do this us!" Hikaru cried out.

"Yeah! That's not cool, Shun! Have mercy!" Jaden cried.

"I'll probably Duel Chazz first," I turned to the still smirking black-clad Duelist, "How does that sound to you, huh? You and me? It'll be an honor for you to be the first person I Duel here."

"That sounds like a good plan. At what time?" Chazz chuckled as Hikaru and Jaden wailed that it wasn't fair. I pretended to think about it, "How about at six near the Slifer Dorm. Right outside my dorm window. I'm sure Hikaru and Jaden would like to see it."

"Hmm. Nice." Chazz sniggered.

"You can't do this to us, Shun!" Hikaru said, falling to his knees along with Jaden in absolute terror, "You just can't! I have to be the first one! Or at least second! Pleeeeeeeeeease!"

Chazz and I started laughing as both Slifers cried that what I was doing was cruel and unusual punishment on them. They stared at us as we had our laughing fit and I said, between my laughter, "I'm not gonna do that! I was just making you guys pay for tricking me!"

"Shun!"

"That wasn't very nice!"

I stuck out my tongue at them, "What you guys did wasn't very nice either! So I guess we're even then."

Both Slifers pouted. I shook my head in amusement and turned to the other students sitting down in the table with us. Besides Hassleberry, Syrus, Chazz, Hikaru and Jaden, there were three others.

"Hello there! I am Shun Sakaki and I'm from the Slifer Red Dorm. Who are you?" I asked them. The first female had dirty blonde and light brown eyes and was wearing the standard Obelisk Blue uniform. She smiled, "Hello there, Shun. My name is Alexis Rhodes and I'm in Obelisk Blue."

"I'm Blair Flannigan!" The small, dark-purple haired with brown eyed girl said. She was wearing a Slifer Red blazer with an orange shirt and a black skirt. She was wearing Slifer Red boots and black socks that made it up past her knees.

"And I'm Bastion Misawa. A pleasure to make your acquaintance." The last – a male – said with a slight British accent. He had dark gray hair and gray eyes. He was wearing the Ra Yellow blazer, a green turtleneck shirt and dark gray pants.

"So you're new to Duel Academy, Shun?" Alexis asked.

I nodded, "I transferred from Domino High. Apparently, Kaiba-sama thought I had good talent so he made me take the exams to enter and here I am now."

"That must be so cool, knowing Kaiba!" Blair squealed.

I smiled, "Well, I have been involved in the Duel Monsters Industry since I was young. My parents worked in Industrial Illusions until they passed away. I met Kaiba-sama and the others at the age of five."

"That means you've met Yugi Muto, right!" Blair asked.

I looked up at the ceiling, "Knew him even before he was the King of Games."

At this, all of them gawked at me. I nodded at their unasked questions, "Yup. He was my Duel Monsters tutor. He is pretty cool and he has a lot of patience. Enough to teach me. If you haven't noticed, I'm a bit hyperactive and sentimental. Try dealing with that."

"You didn't tell us this!" Hikaru yelled out, grabbing me in a headlock. I flailed my arms, "You didn't ask!"

"Yugi Muto?"

I looked up from my seat to see a sixteen year old boy behind me. He was wearing the Slifer Red blazer – buttoned – and I could see his turtleneck white shirt. He was wearing white pants and the Slifer Red boots. His eyes were violet-red and were hidden by thick black glasses. His hair was up to his shoulders and was white. The tips of his hair were black.

He fiddled with his hands, "Um . . . Hi . . . M-m-my name is H-Haru Y-Yami. I'm in S-S-Slifer Red t-too. I overheard y-y-your c-c-conversation and I . . . um. . . ."

"Haru Yami? Aren't you in our class?" Jaden asked.

He nodded quickly, "Y-y-yes, Jaden-sama."

"Just Jaden, Haru!" He grinned.

Hikaru smiled sweetly at Haru, who blushed brightly, "So, Haru, do ya want to sit with us? I mean, the table's open."

"T-t-thank you, Hikaru-sama." Haru told him, still blushing, and sat down.

"Whoa!" Someone yelled, "Hopeless Haru just walked up to the talented Duelists of Duel Academy!" People started laughing and Haru whimpered.

Just as I was about to say something, a young boy stood up silently before slamming his hand on a table. All was quiet and the boy turned to everyone. The boy had a blonde with some silver at the tip of his hair that turned darker as his hair went up, where it was almost golden like the sun. He had light blue eyes, almost the color of the sky and he was wearing the Ra Yellow jacket. He had a black cap on his hair and his eyes were fiery.

"What's wrong with you?" He asked.

All was silent. He shook his head, "All of you are hopeless! I bet even Haru is a better Duelist than practically every student in this cafeteria! After all, most of you are mediocre Duelists."

"Who's that?" I whispered.

"That's Roka Iwo," Hikaru whispered, "He came here about two weeks after the beginning of the first year. He's one that stands up for others."

"Roka, huh." I smiled, "He's alright."

Roka glanced at our table. He frowned slightly at Hikaru before sitting down again in his table. Conversation began again and I blinked, "Hey, Hikaru, what did you do to upset him?"

"Nothing. All he does is glare at me." Hikaru told me.

"So, are you related to Roka-sama, Hikaru-sama?" Haru asked.

"It's Hikaru, Haru, and no." Hikaru said, "Why do people always ask me that?"

"Gee," Alexis started, "maybe it's because you both have very similar hair colors and eye color. He looks like a small version of you, for crying out loud. Don't tell me you haven't noticed."

"Nope. Don't see it." Hikaru drawled out, "Besides, I only have a younger sister and my twin brother. No other siblings and my parents were both only children so he and I can't be related."

"He's a cool guy," Jaden grinned as he looked at Roku, "and he's been known to dominate his opponents. No wonder he advanced to Ra Yellow."

I smiled and then felt eyes on me. I turned to see five students looking at us. I shivered as their gaze was on me, "Who are they?"

Blair looked up and then shrugged as if the matter was unimportant, "The Honda twins, Yuna, Asuna and Abiel. They're the Underground Duelists and they say they're pretty good. They're in the second year with you guys." She sighed, "It's not fair that Hassleberry and I are first years . . ."

"A pity indeed, Blair." A new voice said.

We turned to see the Underground Duelists had arrived. The males were all in Ra Yellow blazers while the females wore the Obelisk Blue uniforms.

The one who had spoken was a red head with straight hair that reached up to her lower back. Her eyes were dark green and she wore eyeliner and mascara. She smiled and winked at Chazz, who's right eye twitched at that.

The other female had dark brown hair that reached up to her shoulders and it covered some of her face. Her eyes were light brown and she was fiddling with her short hair. She looked at Hikaru and blushed, her legs moving uncomfortably.

The two identical males were side to side. They both had the same green hair and emerald eyes. One of the twins had his hair parted to the left and the other had his hair parted to the right. Both of them had their blazers open. The one who had his hair parted to the left was wearing a V-neck white shirt and black pants while the one who had his hair parted to the right was wearing a V-neck black shirt and white pants.

The last one had black hair that covered one of his eyes and had royal blue eyes. He was wearing his Ra Yellow blazer open and had a black turtleneck and dark gray pants. Around his neck was a golden medallion that had two beasts fighting inside of it. One beast had sapphires for eyes and the other rubies for eyes.

The red head female bowed her head in front of me so we could have direct contact, "You're new here, right? Shun Sakaki, wasn't it? I'm Asuna Hagane. And, may I add, you're an adorable little thing."

The brunette clutched her hands, "I'm Y-Yuna Amano."

The greenettes nodded their heads in unison. The one whose hair was parted to the right said, "I'm Taka Honda."

"And I'm Taro Honda." The twin with his hair parted to the left told me.

"Abiel Nakahara. And I don't like the feel of you." The last one growled. All of them turned to him and he wrinkled his nose at me, "There's something off about you, Sakaki. And I don't like it."

"Abiel!" Asuna cried out, smacking the ravenette, "That's a rude thing to say, you know! The little thing looks so innocent! And his hair is so cute! And his eyes are so unique!"

I looked down, "Uh . . ."

"Do you mind, Asuna?" Alexis asked, "You're scaring the kid."

Asuna huffed, "Rhodes. I am not scaring him. If I was, I'd let him be taken to the Opposite Twins or Ace. Those Obelisks are scary works of art. But we're second years here. No reason to get upset, Alexis."

I turned to Alexis, "That was really nice of you."

She smiled, "No problem."

Asuna smiled, "Lunch is almost over." She latched herself onto Chazz's arm, "How about we all get together somewhere and get acquainted with each other, guys? It'll be fun~."

Jaden stood, "Well, let's run!"

"On it!"

Hikaru and Jaden grabbed my arms and ran, dragging me behind. I heard Asuna screaming for her "Chazzy" to come back. When we stopped, Syrus sighed, "Glad we got rid of her. She's a little annoying."

"Let's be glad we escaped her." Hikaru sighed.

I laughed. I might have had a terrible start to my first day in class but I was glad that it ended up pretty well. Who knows? Maybe, tomorrow, I'll have a better day. Hopefully, I will.

I was in my bed after my shower. Chazz, Jaden and Hikaru went off to the baths so I had the dorm to myself . . . sort of. Maggie, Kuriboh, Dark Magician Girl, Dark Magician, Dark Magician of Chaos, Pandora, Watapon and Toon Dark Magician Girl were out and about, chatting with each other.

I fiddled with my cell phone that had a small card figure in it. I opened up a chat room and smiled, remembering my two friends that I hadn't seen in years and could only speak with them through the chat room.

I logged in to my account called MagicianOfDuelists03.

**MagicianOfDuelists03: Hey? Anyone out there?**

**CrystalGemMaster07: Yo! Missed ya!**

**RevengeOfThePhoenix09: Hello there.**

**MagicianOfDuelists03: How are you guys? Sorry I didn't call you guys. I was busy with school and stuff.**

**CrystalGemMaster07: Huh?! O.o What school? Domino High should've let ya off HOURS ago!**

**MagicianOfDuelists03: I told you guys already! I transferred to DUEL ACADEMY!**

**RevengeOfThePhoenix09: Congratulations, Shun.**

**MagicianOfDuelists03: Why, thanks, Aster! :D**

**RevengeOfThePhoenix09: I'm transferring in to that school too.**

**MagicianOfDuelists03: Really! That's so awesome!**

**RevengeOfThePhoenix09: The exams are so easy to pass.**

**MagicianOfDuelists03: I know right! I aced it, even though I went to Slifer Red. RED IS AWESOME! :D**

**RevengeOfThePhoenix09: Blue is a good color for you.**

**MagicianOfDuelists03: But I need to feel be an underdog in Slifer to hide my little connections with you know who.**

**RevengeOfThePhoenix09: Good point.**

**CrystalGemMaster07: Shun! If you were going to transfer into a dueling school, why didn't you come with me to NORTH ACADEMY! How could you?! TTnTT**

**MagicianOfDuelists03: Sorry, Jess! But there's a situation over here! My mission, remember? NORTH ACADEMY is fine.**

**CrystalGemMaster07: I know that. But I still feel hurt, ya know! Neither you nor Aster bothered to come to study in NORTH ACADEMY with me!**

**RevengeOfThePhoenix09: Well, I'm already going to the pro leagues, Jess. My career is important. **

**CrystalGemMaster07: I know, I know. Hey, are you stoked? I heard you're gonna fight Zane Truesdale!**

**MagicianOfDuelists03: Le gasp! :O Why didn't you tell me about this?**

**CrystalGemMaster07: Aster's been holding out on us, Shun! It's so cruel! Do you hate us? =n= **

**RevengeOfThePhoenix09: I'm sorry I wasn't able to contact you guys, alright! I am. But it's a busy schedule. The pro leagues aren't those tournaments we used to have back when we were little kids. -.-**

**MagicianOfDuelists03: I know, I know. Still, it would've been nice if you had told us. Our feelings are hurt. Aren't we best dueling friends for eternity? **

**CrystalGemMaster07: Yeah! Where's your sense in brotherhood? :o**

**RevengeOfThePhoenix09: You are seriously ganging up on me. =o=**

**MagicianOfDuelists03: Feel bad! We like it! **

**RevengeOfThePhoenix09: How about we talk about you, Shun, and your first day in DUEL ACADEMY?**

**MagicianOfDuelists03: Don't change the subject!**

**MagicianOfDuelists03: It was cool.**

**CrystalGemMaster07: Meet any SDs? Any Dueling Spirits?**

**MagicianOfDuelists03: Oh yeah! My roommates and another friend of theirs! They all are SDs and they have DSs too! ^o^ It's so cool! And one is just like you, Jess! His name is Jaden!**

**CrystalGemMaster07: Sweet! :D Now I'm gonna totally try to transfer into DUEL ACADEMY! I wanna meet this guy! **

**RevengeOfThePhoenix09: Another Jesse? Lord, help us all. **

**CrystalGemMaster07: What's that supposed to mean?!**

**RevengeOfThePhoenix09: I have enough with only one Jesse Anderson, thank you very much. Another one will drive me insane. I would've preferred another Shun but, alas, life is cruel.**

**CrystalGemMaster07: You're so cruel!**

**MagicianOfDuelists03: Aster, that was NOT very nice! Apologize. Now. :o**

**RevengeOfThePhoenix09: Fine. I'm sorry. They're calling me now. Talk to you guys later.**

**MagicianOfDuelists03: Bye Aster!**

**CrystalGemMaster07: See ya, Aster!**

_**RevengeOfThePhoenix09 has left the chat room**_**.**

**CrystalGemMaster07: Kinda boring without Aster. It's fun to annoy him.**

**MagicianOfDuelists03: Wait until I tell him that, Jess! ^_^**

**CrystalGemMaster07: Gasp! You wouldn't! :o**

**MagicianOfDuelists03: Maybe . . . **

**CrystalGemMaster07: Dang! My roommates are coming! See ya later! Oh, Ruby and the other CB say hi! **

**MagicianOfDuelists03: Hey CB! My DSs say hi to them too! Maggie misses Cobalt! Pandora misses Amethyst! See you later, Jess!**

_**CrystalGemMaster07 has left the chat room**_**. **

_**MagicianOfDuelists03 has left the chat room**_**.**

I sighed, putting my phone under my pillow. I got out of bed, getting my boots on my feet and slipping in my blazer, "I'm gonna do some little exploring, if you don't mind. If the others ask for me, tell them I'm out, okay!"

'_Alright, Shun! Careful_!' Maggie warned me.

I smiled, "I will!"

I was walking around the forest. Occasionally, I'd feel slightly sick but I found the buried cards quickly so that would blow over soon. I started humming and felt the wind pick up slightly. I shivered, pulling the red blazer closer.

"What an odd wind." I whispered despite myself.

"A lonely night like this is often this way."

I turned to see a young man of around seventeen sitting in the shadows. His eyes were almost golden and seemed to be glowing. He had black hair with a white streak on his hair. He was wearing the senior Obelisk Blue uniform and, around his neck, was a glowing red stone.

I tensed, "Who are you?"

"Ace Miyamoto." He replied coolly, coming closer into the moonlight, "So you must be the newcomer. Shun Sakaki of Slifer Red. Tell me, why are you wearing red instead of blue?"

I frowned. How did he know about that? "I don't know what you're talking about." I replied and started walking away. I heard him snort, "Who would guess that a Spirit Duelist of your caliber would be such a coward?"

I stopped and turned, "How do you know that term?"

He smirked, "I know a lot about you, Shun _Sakaki_." I flinched at how he said my name. He walked closer to me, "That's right. I know your true name. Sakaki. Your father's last name that you stopped using when he and your mother died in that car crash."

"How do you know about this?" I asked.

"I know many things. Like the death of your grandfather, for instance. Your mission. Your enemy. Your gift/curse. And about the fourth card."

I turned at that, "The fourth card?"

**Anime: I gotta say, I enjoyed writing this. Especially the part where my sweet Shun is angry at Hikaru and Jaden. I practically imagine this in anime format! And I like the cliffhanger. The fourth card is important to the plot. Dang, I just gave away a spoiler. Now, I'll try to draw the others too so you can see them! Oh! And, if you're interested, check out my original story in Wattpad. The account is 2doubleauthors and I share it with my older sister.**

**Kai: Are you done ranting?**

**Anime: How are you here? Where are Jaden, Chazz, Hikaru, Shun, Haou and Jehu? :O**

**Tyson: We captured them and locked them up. Now . . . the Beyblade fandom awaits! *starts dragging me away***

**Anime: Waaah! Review please! The button is nice. It won't send you to the Shadow Realm or the alternate dimension that came out in season three of GX or to Brooklyn's demented dimension! In the meantime, I'll try to escape the Bladebreakers and the rest of the Beyblade cast. Oh nooooo!**

**Read and Review!**


	5. Chapter 5: The Memories and the Duel

**Anime: Hello! I've returned and with Chapter 5 of Dueling Legend! I am so proud of this one cause there's a Duel in this one! I actually was impressed I did. It's short and probably boring. But I had to do one, for crying out loud! It's not Yu-Gi-Oh if there's no Duels!**

**Shun: We thank all the readers and reviewers thus far. There might not be a lot but it's more than Anime-sama actually had intended! **

**Hikaru: The Duel in this chapter is dedicated to the awesome ****Zero Slash One****! Check out his stories too! You'll love them! Especially the Duels! Keep updating! We're patiently waiting for each and every update!**

**Jaden: We hope you have fun and enjoy Anime's Duel! **

**Chazz: Maybe you'll like it.**

**Jesse: You're supposed to say that they'll like it!**

**Aster: Anime absolutely does not own anything related to Yu-Gi-Oh! Not in the slightest. Nope. She's just a fifteen year old girl that loves Dueling and YGO and enjoys reading fanfictions about her "childhood". **

"**It's easy to give up, to give in when things get tough, that's not the way to win. I won't quit no matter how hopeless it seems. That's not the way to get ahead, either in Duel Monsters or in life."**

**-Yugi Muto (Yu-Gi-Oh!)**

"Talking" – regular communication

_Talking_ - thinking

'_Talking'_ – Duel Spirits communication

'_**Talking'**_ – Duel Spirits telepathic communication

5: The Memories and the Duel

Ace hummed, "Why so interested in the fourth card, Shun? The ultimate card?" He walked circles around me, leaning close to my ear to whisper, "Do you wish to obtain the power it is said to contain?"

"I don't wish its power." I told him, pushing him away.

He snorted, "Oh? A person rejecting power? Very impressive. But, you see, we need you to locate it. Your gift will allow us that. Imagine the pain of that card, being sealed away for so long."

I clenched my fists, refusing to look at him in the eyes, "How do you know so much about me? And the fourth card? Why, Ace?"

"Why, you ask?" He asked, chuckling evilly as he walked deeper into the forest, "Because both you and the fourth card are interconnected. Of course, the connection won't be seen until the fourth card appears."

"Ha!" I turned to him, "I won't lead you to that card. I know you wish to use its power. Unlike you, I am not tempted by the prospect of power. Power means nothing to me. It is a cruel thing that corrupts."

"But you do have an unquenchable thirst for revenge, little one." Ace hummed, "For your parents . . . your grandfather. . ."

I turned to him, "Enough talk about my family and about me, Ace. You know information about the fourth card. Tell me. Tell me everything about it. Tell me its name. I need to know."

"Name? Its name is the same as the Nameless Pharaoh: nameless. Its name was hidden and never to be used. Pegasus, however, dubbed it a fitting name. Phoenix King, the Destroyer."

"Phoenix King, the Destroyer. . ."

"Exactly. It was an unstable and unpredictable card. Pegasus was plagued with nightmares when attempting to create it. A dangerous thing with a vicious mind, as if it had no true mind."

"What happened to it?"

"Pegasus had it hidden, of course. Locked away more securely than the three Egyptian God Cards had been. Even Pegasus didn't know where it was placed. And the person who did died two years later. Ironically, he died in a fire."

I looked down. Ace looked at me, "You never answered my question, Shun. Why so interested in the fourth card?"

"I already told you, _Miyamoto_. That's none of your concern." I replied, walking away, heading towards the Slifer Red dorms.

"Hm?" Ace went, "Come now, I know practically everything about you. Tell me, is it because . . ." He paused, "That dream you had all those years ago. How old were you when you had it? Thirteen?"

I stopped walking. How did he know about that?! I hadn't told anyone about that dream. I turned to him, "What do you want with me?"

"You. My master wants you in his possession."

"Master?"

Ace grinned, "Oh, you've met him. He is the reason you're here in Duel Academy. He is the one responsible for your grandfather's ultimate demise. And . . ." His eyes glittered, "He's the one who caused the accident that took the life of your parents."

My eyes widened, "W-what?"

Ace started walking away, "As enjoyable as this has been, Shun, my master does not like to wait for me. And I'd advise you to return to your dorm, else my master's pets will find you and . . . well, I imagine you'll know how that'll turn out."

He chuckled and started walking away. He stopped and turned his head to face me, "Oh, Shun? Keep that little friend of yours, Jaden Yuki, close. His power might be beneficial to my master. After all, it's not every day you see the ruler of the gentle darkness. Just so you know. . ."

I didn't even get to respond to that bit of information. With that piece of information, he walked away.

I was rooted to the spot, my mind working in overdrive. The death of my parents . . . my grandfather's death . . . my gift . . . my dream . . . the fourth card . . . Ace's master . . . They were all connected. But how exactly where they connected?

I couldn't help remembering the night I had that dream. I was thirteen years old and living in Domino City again. I was resting in my room that used to belong to my older cousin but he didn't use it anymore.

I didn't know when I fell asleep. I really don't recall but, I remember I stood up and glimpsed at the window. I stared at the dark sky and then saw something flash across the sky.

I leaned closer to it, "What was that?!"

Suddenly, I saw a great beast made out of flames appear in the sky. With a loud screech, it descended onto the city, burning anything it came into contact with. I screamed and left my room, running down the stairs. I hadn't even bothered to change from my night clothes – a white shirt and baggy black pants – or to put on shoes.

Once I was outside, I gasped upon seeing the fiery inferno. Everything was burning to the ground. All I knew was burning. I kept running, searching for anyone but the whole city was empty.

"Hello?! Can anyone hear me?!"

I reached the town square, only to find it completely empty. I screamed again, falling to my knees and hitting my hands on the cold floor. I heard that loud screech again and I looked up to see the beast that had set fire upon the city.

It was no longer engulfed in flames. And it was a phoenix. It had violet-blue eyes and most of its feathers were golden-red with most of its primary wings blue. It landed about six feet away from me, staring at me.

"What did you do?" I asked.

It stared at me, without responding.

"Answer me!" I cried out.

It looked up at the sky and screeched loudly. I looked up as well and saw the three Egyptian God Cards in the sky, looking as powerful as I remembered them. I stared at them and then at the phoenix.

The phoenix was looking at me intently. I slowly got to my feet, "Tell me. Who are you? What do you want?"

It hid itself with its wings. It glowed bright white and then the white light vanished, leaving an eighteen year old male with bright red wings in its place. The wings were removed to show that the boy had his hair in the same style and color as mine. The difference was that the edge of most of his hair was red at the tips. His bangs were golden at the tips. His eyes were violet-blue, just like the Phoenix's.

He was wearing a black cape and red and black armor. His boots were black and he wore a belt across his waist, where a sword with a red hilt was strapped on. He looked extremely regal looking.

"Who are you?" I heard myself repeating.

The male looked at me, staring at me with cold eyes, "Search your feelings well, Shun. You know exactly who I am."

"I don't."

"You do. You just haven't searched far enough. We are one in the same, you and I. You just don't know that. You must remember who you were to remember who I am. Remember your true name."

"True name?"

He nodded, "Remember and you shall remember our connection. We cannot live without the other. Remember our great battle against the forces of evil. If you can remember, we will be reunited once more."

He started flying towards the three Egyptian God cards, that had remained in their same place. I reached out for him, "Wait! That wasn't enough! Please! Tell me what your name is! I can't remember! I've never seen you before!"

He looked at me and then back at the Egyptian God Cards. He shimmered and transformed himself into his phoenix form again. He, Ra, and Slifer began to fly away, Obelisk right behind them.

"Wait!" I cried out, running after them, "Don't go! Stop!"

"Shun!"

I woke up in bed to see my grandfather leaning in front of me. He smiled at me, asking me if I was alright. I told him yes but I couldn't forget about that beast and, since then, I couldn't forget about that dream.

I kicked a pebble and looked up to see I had reached the cliff, overlooking the ocean. I smiled and sat down, glancing at the vast ocean. It looked beautiful in the moonlight as well. It reminded me about the time I moved away from Domino City and met my first and only friends: Aster Phoenix and Jesse Anderson.

I smiled, "I can never forget about the ocean."

"Waaah!" I yelled, running barefoot across the sand of the beach and giggling. I was shirtless and wearing black and golden shorts. Toon Dark Magician Girl was following me, squealing in delight. At that time, I was six years old.

'_Don't go too far, you two_,' Dark Magician of Chaos warned me and Toon Dark Magician Girl. I turned to him, grinning widely at him, "Okay-dokey, Chaos! I won't go too far!"

I ran, giggling. I heard something above me and looked around a rock to see a little boy around my age playing around with a strange looking purple cat with red eyes that was flying around him.

"Ruby!" The boy laughed, speaking in a Sothern accent.

'_Rubiiii!_' The cat-like thing said.

"What a nice Duel Spirit!" I said.

The boy turned to me. He had teal hair and emerald green eyes. He was wearing green with white shorts and had no shirt on, similar to me. In his hand was a pack of Duel Monsters cards.

Toon Dark Magician Girl approached, riding her scepter as if it was a flying broom, '_Ooooh! More Duel Spirits! Shun-nii is mine!_'

The boy blinked, "Who are you?"

"Shun Sa-ka-ki!" I said, smiling and sticking my hand out for him to shake it. He smiled back and me and took it, "Nice to meet ya! My name's Jesse Anderson!"

"Jess-e. An-der-son." I sounded out.

He nodded, "Yeah, that's my name! So, Shun, you have Duel Spirits too?"

I nodded, "Yup! This is Toon DMG! And over there's Chaos! He doesn't talk much. He likes to silent."

Chaos chuckled. After that, I enjoyed living in my new home. After all, I had a friend who understood how it was to see and communicate with Duel Spirits and who sympathized with my gift.

"There you are!"

I looked up to see Jaden running up to me. He stopped and smiled, "Hey! Where have you been? Maggie only said that you went out to explore. I decided to go look for you!"

_Did I befriend Jaden so easily because of Jesse? Because both of them are so similar?_ I wondered as I smiled, "Yeah. Sorry if I made you worry."

"No problem!" Jaden said as I stood, brushing my pants to get rid of any dirt or grass. He patted my back and then he exclaimed, "I was gonna tell you sooner but I couldn't find you anywhere! The thing is, tomorrow we're having field activities! Meaning we're gonna Duel!"

I turned to him, "Seriously? That's awesome!"

Jaden winked, "You better believe that we're Dueling tomorrow!"

"I'm counting on it!" I said, as we both headed to our dorm for a good night's sleep. Boy, was I looking forward to tomorrow! I was stoked! I was gonna Duel Jaden, Hikaru and Chazz, no doubt! Tomorrow was going to be a great day!

The next day, I woke up early with the happiness that I was about to Duel one of my newest friends. I ate breakfast with Hikaru and Jaden, talking about how our Duels were gonna go down.

"Hey, Jay!" Hikaru said, stealing one of Jaden's fried shrimp from his plate and eating it, "How come you're Dueling Shun first? That ain't fair! Aren't you gonna share? I wanna Duel him first!"

"No way!" Jaden said, stealing Hikaru's bagel from the plate and eating it, "I asked him first so you'll have to deal with it!"

"That's no fair! Fine! I'll Duel him second, then!" Hikaru insisted.

"C'mon, you guys! School awaits!" I said, grabbing my Deck box and clipping it on my belt. The two nodded and stood, food in hand. Hikaru smiled, "Well, let's go! That arena is calling my name!"

"Yeah!"

A couple of hours later (all that had happened was a really long lecture by one of the teachers in charge of Ra Yellow that, surprise, surprise, both Hikaru and Jaden fell asleep in), all of the second years were on the Duel Arenas.

"Hey guys!" Alexis said as she, Syrus, Bastion and Haru joined Jaden, Hikaru, Chazz and I. I grinned, "Oooh! I'm so excited! I can't believe it! I'm gonna have my first Duel here in Duel Academy! I can't breathe!"

"That's right!" Syrus exclaimed, "It's your first Duel here, isn't it?"

I nodded, still grinning widely, "Oh yeah, Syrus! And I know exactly who I'm Dueling first! And the person who I'm Dueling is-."

"Hey, Shun!" Two voices said at the same time.

We turned around to see the Underground Duelists coming our way. Asuna smiled and latched herself on Chazz's arm, much to his discomfort, "So, Shun, this will be your first Duel here! Excited?"

"Yup!"

"And he might win his Duel. Who knows? This little guy might have skills." Hikaru said as he slung an arm around Jaden and me (Who is he calling little? I'm taller than him by like two inches!). Yuna blushed at that, looking up at Hikaru.

"Not so fast, Shun!" The twins said and pointed at me, "The fact that you have a clean record is tempting to us. We want your first Duel to be a loss. Because of that, we've decided that we challenge you to a Tag-Team Duel!"

"A Tag-Team Duel?" I asked as both twins pointed at me, staring me down with their identical eyes. They nodded at the same time as if they shared one mind, "That's right! We wanna be your opponents in the Duel activity! Dr. Crowler already let us challenge you!"

"Um . . ." I said, "Hate to burst your bubble you guys . . . but who's gonna be my partner? If it's gonna be a Tag-Team Duel, I have to have a partner for it. If it's just me versus you two, that'll be unfair."

The twins glanced at each other for a moment and started whispering amongst each other. After they were done, they nodded their agreement before they both pointed at Jaden, "Him!"

"Er. . ." Jaden tried to take a step back but the twins dragged us to an open Duel arena, "Now that that's settled, let's begin!"

Jaden and I were facing the Honda Twins, who smiled and said, "This is great! We'll beat Jaden Yuki and be the first to defeat the newbie! We're gonna win! After all, they're only Slifers!"

"Go beat them, Taro and Taka!" Asuna and Yuna yelled with Abiel holding a "Fighting!" flag.

"Show 'em who's boss, Jay and Shun! Slifer Red rules! We're the best dorm!" Hikaru yelled with Chazz sighing as Syrus, Alexis and Bastion cheered us on too and Haru held a "Go for the Win!" flag.

"The format is, like so," Our instructor said, "first Honda Taro goes, then Yuki, then Honda Taka and, finally, Sakaki. I want a fair game, you four. I expect a lot from my Ra Yellows. Slifer Reds . . . good luck."

"Alright then, get your game on!" Jaden yelled, activating his Duel Disk.

"Time to show you the power of the spirits!" I yelled, activating my Duel Disk.

"Duel!" All four of us yelled.

**(Jaden and Shun: 4000/ Taro and Taka: 4000)**

"Let's go, then! Draw!" Taro yelled, drawing his sixth card. He stared at it and grinned, "Alright, I summon Wall of Illusion in Defense Mode!" The monster appeared, giving me and Jaden an awful glance before assuming its stance.

**(Wall of Illusion: ATK/1000 DEF/1850)**

"I place two cards face-down and end my turn."

"Alright then, it's now my move!" Jaden grinned, "Here goes something!" He drew his sixth card and I saw Winged Kuriboh appear by his side. He smiled briefly at it.

"Alright then. You had an okay start but I plan to go bigger!" He announced, "I play Polymerization to fuse the Elemental HEROES Burstinatrix and Clayman from my hand to summon the Elemental HERO Rampart Blaster in Defense Mode!" The fused monster appeared in the field, staring down the twins.

**(Elemental HERO Rampart Blaster: ATK/2000 DEF/2500)**

"Thanks to her effect," Jaden grinned, "I get to attack you guys directly, even though she's in defense mode, as long as her attack points are halved."

"What?!" The twins screamed.

"Woo-hoo! Go, Jay!" Hikaru yelled.

Rampart Blaster raised her blaster, aimed, and fired at the twins. They growled as their Life Points went down, "Just great!"

**(Jaden and Shun: 4000/ Taro and Taka: 3000)**

"Yes!" Alexis cheered.

"Alright! Jaden and Shun are in the lead!" Syrus grinned.

"I place two cards face-down and end my turn." Jaden said. He turned to me and winked, "How's that for an attack?"

"Pretty great!" I grinned.

"You won't be smiling for long," Taka growled, "My draw!"

He stared at his cards and then smirked, looking at us, "Excellent. I'm going to defeat you. I summon the Marauding Captain in Attack Mode!" As the warrior appeared on their side of the field, Taka coughed, "But my warrior hates being alone. Thanks to his special ability, I can summon a Level 4 or lower monster from my hand and I choose Amazon Archer, in Attack Mode!" The female warrior appeared by the Marauding Captain, her bow at ready.

**(Marauding Captain: ATK/1200 DEF/400)**

**(Amazon Archer: ATK/1400 DEF/1000)**

"Why'd he summon those monsters?" I heard Haru ask someone, "Jaden's Rampart Blaster's defense is stronger than those two."

_They're scheming something!_ I thought with realization.

Taka laughed, showing us the card he was now going to play on the field, "And I play Megamorph!"

_There it is! Their plan!_ I immediately thought.

"Great." Jaden said next to me, grimacing. He glanced at me, "You know, this might not end up good for us but we'll pull through."

"I equip Amazon Archer with Megamorph!"

**(Amazon Archer: ATK/1400 - 2800)**

"Jaden . . ." I warned.

"I attack Rampart Blaster! Go, my Amazon! Destroy that puny hero!" The monster loaded several arrows and shot, shooting Rampart Blaster. I heard the HERO's scream before it was sent to the Graveyard.

"And I'm not done yet! Go, Marauding Captain! Attack Shun directly!"

"This might sting." I told myself and cried out a little as the sword slashed at me. I nearly fell to the ground, gritting my teeth in pain. This was a reason I didn't like to Duel. Even though this wasn't a Shadow Duel, every attack felt real to me as I was closer to the world of Duel Monsters than any normal Spirit Duelist due to my condition.

"You okay?" Jaden asked.

"Been through worst." I replied back.

**(Jaden and Shun: 2800/ Taro and Taka: 3000) **

"Jaden! Shun!" Hikaru yelled out, looking devastated.

"Oh yeah! Take that, Jaden and Shun! Go Taka! Go Taro! You can win!" Asuna screamed, doing little tricks in the sidelines.

"I end my turn. Your move."

"My turn, then. Draw!" I looked at my cards. I had drawn the Dark Magician. Mage of Darkness, Magical Dimension, Magic Cylinder, Pot of Greed and Mystical Space Typhoon were the other cards.

"Okay, I play Pot of Greed, allowing me to draw two more cards!"

I checked the two cards I had gotten: Watapon and Dark Magician Girl. I smiled, "Perfect. First, I Special-Summon Watapon to the field thanks to its effect. Next, I play Mystical Space Typhoon, destroying your Megamorph card."

They growled at that. Hikaru and the others – minus Chazz – cheered. I smiled, "Now, I sacrifice Watapon to Summon the Mage of Darkness in Attack Mode!"

My best friend appeared in the field. She looked around, '_Wha-? A Duel? So late too? Shun, why haven't you Dueled earlier? And, if you have Dueled before, why haven't you Summoned me? Where's the love?_'

**(Mage of Darkness: ATK/2600 DEF/2500)**

"Calm down." I told her with a smile, "I just barely Summoned you. And this is my first Duel here. We're doing a little shaky."

'_Hmph! That better be the case, Shun!_' She pouted.

I turned to the twins, who looked bewildered at the appearance of the card. Taro pointed at it, "That's a new card! I've never seen anything like it before!"

'_Believe it!_' Maggie struck a pose before flipping her dark brown hair, '_No one is as magnificent as me! Except maybe Dark Magician Girl but that's it! We're obviously the best!_'

I sighed at her antics before getting control of the situation, "I activate her first ability! Once per turn, she can raise my Life Points by 500!"

'_Time to raise some Life Points!_' She giggled, raising her scepter.

**(Jaden and Shun: 3300/ Taro and Taka: 3000)**

"Damn!" The twins said.

'_Oooh!_' Maggie turned to me, '_Use my second ability now! And bring someone worthwhile out, okay? I just hate being alone._'

"I'm planning on that. Now I'll use Mage of Darkness's second ability! She can summon a Spellcaster from my hand or Deck to the field! And I choose her best friend: Dark Magician Girl!"

"D-D-Dark Magician Girl?" Syrus gasped out in the sidelines. When I glanced at him, he looked as if he was ready to die out of happiness. He laughed excitedly and then cheered, "Yes! Go, Dark Magician Girl!"

_DMG's got a fan_, I thought to myself with a slight smile and then turned my attention back to the Duel.

'_Yay!_' Maggie squealed as the Dark Magician Girl appeared by her side on the field. Dark Magician Girl grinned at her, '_Hi there! What did I miss now?_'

**(Dark Magician Girl: ATK/ 2000 DEF/1700)**

'_Nothing much! Shun's in a Tag-Team with the nice Jaden Yuki boy against those two mean twins. And we're gonna win!_' Maggie filled her in.

I looked at my two female Spellcasters, "Now, I attack with both Spellcasters! Go, Mage of Darkness! Destroy Marauding Captain with Dark Jinx!"

'_Bye-bye!_' She said as she pointed her scepter at the warrior before destroying it. The twins gritted their teeth as their Life Points dropped.

**(Jaden and Shun: 3300/ Taro and Taka: 1600) **

"_Go, Dark Magician Girl! Dark Burning Attack!_"

'_Alright!_' She yelled as she launched herself in the air. She pointed her scepter at Amazon Archer and shot her. The Amazon yelled in pain as she was hit and was then destroyed.

**(Jaden and Shun: 3300/ Taro and Taka: 1000)**

"Also, I need to tell you. Mage of Darkness negates the effects of Trap Cards. Sorry if any of your cards are Trap cards, you two! I place one card face-down and end my turn. Your move!"

"That was totally sweet, Shun!" Jaden cried out in delight, "You reduced their Life Points to 1000! And you have two Monster that have 2000 Attack points and above!"

I blushed at the praise. I wasn't used to getting good praise from Kaiba or the others except from Yugi, "R-really? I did well?"

"Totally! You've got great game!" Jaden grinned, shooting me a thumbs up that I returned. In the sidelines, our friends cheered as well, yelling out their comments and praise on my turn.

"That was great, Shun!"

"That was amazing, Shun! Keep at it!"

"Nice moves, Shun!"

"Dark Magician Girl!"

That was said by Hikaru, Bastion, Alexis and Syrus, respectively. I raised an eyebrow at the Dark Magician Girl comment and the two female Spellcasters in my field giggled at the comment.

'_DMG, you've got a fan!_' Maggie commented.

'_Aww!_' Dark Magician Girl said, turning to Syrus and smiling at him, causing a pink faced Syrus to turn red, '_He's so sweet!_'

Taro growled, after drawing his card, "Well, then . . .! I switch Wall of Illusion to Attack Mode! Next, I equip it with Horn of Unicorn! This gives Wall of Illusion a 700 ATK and DEF boost!"

**(Wall of Illusion: ATK/1000 – 1700 DEF/1850 – 2550)**

'_Are they being too rash?_' Dark Magician Girl commented.

'_Yeah! Jaden has two cards set on the field and Shun has one! Hell-o? Mr. Twin? Are you not thinking?_' Maggie asked.

Taro looked at one of his Set cards, "And that's not all! I play Dian Keto The Cure Master, raising our Life Points by 1000!"

**(Jaden and Shun: 3300/ Taro and Taka: 2000)**

"Now, Wall of Illusion, attack Jaden directly!"

Just as I was about to activate my face-down card, Jaden smiled, "No way! I play A Hero Emerges! Because you attacked, this card is activated! Here's the deal: you choose one card from my hand at random. If it's a monster, I can summon it. If not, I'll send the card to the Graveyard! However," He held out his hand, "I have only one card in my hand. And that's my Elemental HERO Avian! And I summon him on the field!"

The Elemental HERO Avian appeared on Jaden's side of the field, crossing his arms and kneeling as he got in Defense Mode.

**(Elemental HERO Avian: ATK/1000 DEF/1000) **

As soon as it appeared in the field, it was destroyed by Wall of Illusion. Jaden smiled fondly at it, "Thanks for your help, Avian."

Taro clenched his fists, "I end my turn. Your move, Jaden!"

Jaden drew his card and then turned to me, a smile on his face, "I guess I'm gonna be the one to end it. You okay with that?"

"Yeah." I nodded.

"Okay, I activate Miracle Fusion! By banishing Fusion Material monsters from my side of the field or Graveyard, I get to play the Fused Monster! And the pair I'm banishing is this one!"

He showed Elemental HERO Avian and Burstinatrix. I heard Hikaru gasp and then cheer, "Oh yeah! Jay's gonna win now!"

Jaden nodded at Hikaru, who gave him a large grin as if only they knew a secret and they weren't going to tell anyone about it, "Now, ladies and gentlemen, give a warm welcome to the Elemental HERO Flame Wingman! Rise up in Attack Mode!"

'_Flame Wingman?_' Dark Magician Girl asked in confusion, blinking.

**(Elemental HERO Flame Wingman: ATK/2100 DEF/1200)**

"Elemental HERO Flame Wingman! Attack Wall of Illusion! Skydive Scorcher!"

'_Go, Mister Flame Wingman!_' Maggie and Dark Magician Girl cheered. The Elemental HERO flew into the air and then flew down, hitting Wall of Illusion. The twin both cried out as they lost 400 Life Points.

**(Jaden and Shun: 3300/ Taro and Taka: 1600)**

"And thanks to Wingman's super power, the attack of your monster is dealt straight to your life points. Sweet, huh?" Jaden said, winking at me and I grinned at him, nodding in agreement.

**(Jaden and Shun: 3300/ Taro and Taka: 0)**

"Oh yeah!" Hikaru screamed, punching the air in delight and jumping about three feet in the air, "I guess that's one way to end the storm! That totally rocked, you two! Amazing! You showed them!"

"Jaden-sama! Shun-sama! That was such an amazing Duel! You guys are the best in Slifer! No, you're the best in the school! Go, Slifer Red!" Haru cried out, not even stuttering for words.

"Taka! Taro! No! How did you lose?" Asuna said, falling to her knees. Abiel snorted and Yuna tried to comfort the devastated Asuna who looked as if she had fallen into a great depression.

"That's game!" Jaden said happily.

I smiled, "Told you I'd show you the power of the spirits."

Taro and Taka fell to their knees and looked at each other, looking extremely speechless, "We . . . we lost? And so quickly? How did we lose? We. . . How did we lose so quickly? We . . . must train!" They stood and ran to Jaden and me. Taka grabbed my hands while Taro grabbed Jaden's, "Please! Teach us your ways! We beg you!"

"Eh?" I managed to get out.

Taro smiled at me, "From now on . . ."

". . . we're gonna be your shadows!" Taka finished.

"But-. I . . . Uh. . ." I tried forming a sentence. Jaden was trying to make Taro release his hands, looking extremely freaked out, "That's nice and all but . . ."

"We're never letting go!" The twins yelled, trapping us in a hug. Jaden and I yelled out but, alas, no one came to our rescue as the twins announced themselves as our apprentices.

Not bad for a first Duel here, I suppose.

**Anime: Compared to Zero Slash One and DarkZorua100's Duels, that was pretty weak. *sighs* I'm totally rewatching Yu-Gi-Oh! I need the help in creating epic Duels. And I might also watch Yu-Gi-Oh! GX if I have time.**

**Tyson: *whispers* Watch the Pyramid of Light and Bonds Beyond Time.**

**Anime: Good idea. I should-. Wait, I thought I got rid of you! How are you back?!**

**Tyson: Dragoon did it.**

**Yami Bakura: Review or else I'll blast you to the Shadow Realm.**

**Anime: Eh?! Yami Bakura, you're just as bad as Haou and Jehu! **

**Jehu: I have bombs in your school! Let's light it up! *maniacal laughter***

**Anime: Wait, the library! Noooo! **

**Haou: Just read and review, if you can. Flames are given to the Pyro Duelist Hikaru, Dranzer and every fire Pokémon in existence. **


	6. Chapter 6: The 'Princess' of Slifer Red

**Anime: Chapter 6 of Dueling Legend and really close to Christmas time too! I guess this is an early Christmas present to the readers! And, to clear things out, Shun is named after Andromeda Shun from Saint Seiya, my favorite character. The last name Sakaki popped out of nowhere.**

**Shun: Okay, Anime-sama, now that that's outta the way, thanks to Celestia Gold, Zero Slash One and Guest who reviewed the last three chapters. Thank you all for it! **

**Hikaru: We just had to mention you, Zero! Your Duels are awesome!**

**Jaden: This chapter has another Duel, plus it's a bit comedic to try to get off the suspense and angst that Anime keeps on writing about. We think it's comedic. Anime sucks at comedy.**

**Anime: Hey!**

**Chazz: It's true.**

**Jesse: Plus, a little on Hikaru's backstory is revealed! This chapter is mostly on said OC because Anime thinks we've been focusing a little too much to Shun's past, even though he is the protagonist.**

**Aster: The other characters have to be on the spotlight. Today's chapter is dedicated to Celestia Gold. We thank you for the review. (Anime crying in the background)**

**Jehu: Disclaimer! Anime doesn't own any of us! Except Shun and Hikaru. And Taro and Taka. And Asuna and Yuna. And Abiel. And Ace. And the three new OC's. And the fanmade cards. The rest isn't hers. Especially me.**

**Anime: One day it shall! **

_**~~~~Dueling Legend~~~~**_

"**Mokuba, what do I always tell you? If at first you don't succeed, blast 'em with your Blue Eyes again."**

**-Seto Kaiba (Yu-Gi-Oh!)**

_**~~~~Dueling Legend~~~~**_

"Talking" – regular communication

_Talking_ - thinking

'_Talking'_ – Duel Spirits communication

'_**Talking'**_ – Duel Spirits telepathic communication

_**~~~~Dueling Legend~~~~**_

6: The 'Princess' of Slifer Red

Two weeks had passed since my arrival to Duel Academy. I had found several cards and hadn't had an attack since my first day. I befriended several Academy students and had gotten a name for myself as the Spellcaster Duelist of Slifer Red.

Classes were simple. The food was good. I got even closer to Hikaru, Jaden and Chazz, who seemed to be connected with each other by a secret that they refused to tell me about.

Talking about strange things . . .

Daiki Miyashita, a third year Slifer Red student, had called a meeting for all Slifers. Currently, I was sitting down in a table next to Hikaru, Jaden, Chazz and Haru, who had become a member of our group and was nicknamed Hikaru's shadow.

"What's up with Daiki?" Hikaru mumbled, "Why'd he call us over? I was about to take a fast cat nap too . . ." He yawned widely.

"Slifers!" A red head with black highlights and dark brown eyes – Daiki – yelled, "I have to tell you something!"

"What is so important?" Someone in the crowd yelled.

Daiki wailed, "It's terrible! Absolutely terrible! Obelisk Blue has demanded a beauty contest against us! And they're not taking no for an answer!" He burst into tears and many of the Slifers began to murmur amongst each other.

"Um . . ." I turned to Jaden, Hikaru, Haru and Chazz, "A beauty contest? Here in Duel Academy? I thought this was a school of Dueling. I know I didn't sign up for a beauty contest."

"Crowler announced it in the beginning of the semester," Hikaru replied as he rolled his eyes, "He said that there will be some 'special weeks' where school is going to be out and we'll have fun activities. Please. I'd rather not."

"It could be fun." Haru mumbled.

"Ha!" Hikaru snorted.

"But what's the problem with the beauty contest?" I asked them. The room got really quiet and everyone was looking at me. I looked at them, blinking, "Did I say something wrong?"

"Shun Sakaki!" Daiki yelled, "Look around this room! What do you see?"

I blinked at his odd request and did as such. After I was done, I replied, "All I see is a cozy room with several guys-."

"Exactly!" Daiki yelled, "Guys! The contestants are usually females! Apparently we have to choose at least one female representative to be the 'Princess' of the Slifer Red dorm! We're doomed!"

"Not exactly." Chazz said, making everyone turn to him.

"You have an idea, Chazz?" Jaden asked.

Chazz smirked, an evil light surrounding him and causing us to flinch, "We do have our resident princess in here. Isn't that right, Princess Hikaru?"

Hikaru stared at him for a long time before he caught on to what Chazz had said, "Me?! In a dress! No way! No! No, no, no, no, no! I am not wearing heels or a dress! Don't get any weird ideas!"

"Now that you think about, Hikaru does look like a girl."

"Yeah! I bet if he wore a wig or extensions, put on makeup, wore a dress and high heels, he'd look just like a girl!"

"Hey, you're right!"

"Hikaru, you do look like a girl!"

"Now that I start looking, so does Shun."

"And Jaden too."

Hikaru edged away from the other students in fear, who were getting closer to the poor Pyro Duelist who was shaking in fear, "G-g-guys! Let's not do this! I mean, we can just lose the stupid contest! It's not like anyone would care! Right? Will anyone back me up?"

Jaden turned to me and whispered, "I'd rather Hikaru take the heat. According to what people just said at the moment, you and me are also feminine looking, Shun. And we're not wearing dresses."

"Agreed." I whispered back.

"Hikaru, please!" Daiki cried, clutching Hikaru's leg, "Do it for Slifer Red! Where's your sense of pride? Don't you believe Slifer Red is the best dorm! We have to prove to people that it's true!"

"I-. Uh . . ."

"Oh," Daiki said with a sudden grin, "Whichever dorms wins the beauty contest gets its own new building that has a lounge, a bath, a cafeteria and . . ." He directed this at Hikaru, "A Duel Arena. With state of the art technology."

Hikaru paused, actually thinking about it. He placed a hand under his chin, "An arena for Slifer Reds only would be great. And a new cafeteria with new food too . . . That seems like an excellent deal . . . I guess I'll do it."

The Slifers all began to cheer. Hikaru whimpered, "What did I sign myself into?"

_**~~~~Dueling Legend~~~~**_

Hikaru was dragged into a 'wardrobe room' (a closet) and thrown in there. Guys started throwing him clothes to wear, with Hikaru looking ready to faint underneath the pile. After that was done, Hikaru – blushing hotly – closed the door, locked it and began to check the clothing.

"Ah!" Daiki smiled, "Our Slifer Princess! We finally have one."

"Um . . ." I interrupted him, "How come we didn't ask Blair for it?"

Daiki turned to me, "Apparently the Ra dorm asked her and offered her a good deal for it. She decided to do it and, well, we don't have another female. I really hope Hikaru can pass of as a female."

"I wonder how he'll look like." One wondered.

"He better be a good cross-dresser." Someone muttered.

"Um . . . I'm done. I think this one is good." Hikaru said from behind the door. He opened it and all the guys stared at him with awe and looking slightly love struck.

Hikaru was dressed in a flaming red dress that covered his legs and gave him a slight hourglass figure. The dress was a V-neck and short-sleeved and came with white gloves that reached up to Hikaru's elbow. The dress was poufy like a princess dress. Hikaru was blushing, "I'm never living this down . . ."

"You look . . . like a girl!" Haru gasped.

Daiki hugged the Pyro Duelist, "You look really good in this! I'm so happy!"

"Glad ya like it. . ." Hikaru wheezed out.

Daiki chuckled like a madman, releasing Hikaru who leaned on the wall to catch his breath, "Oh yeah, we're winning that contest! After all, we have Hikaru: the Princess of Slifer Red!"

_**~~~~Dueling Legend~~~~**_

The next day, at around five in the morning, Hikaru was woken up by Daiki. Why do I mention this fact? Because Hikaru shares a room with both Jaden and me, Daiki's loud wakeup call woke me and Jaden up.

At Daiki's loud "Wake up, princess!", Jaden fell of his bed, disoriented and asking where the fire was. I bolted upright in my bed, sitting up slightly and hit my head with the ceiling, yelling out in pain.

"Daiki!" Hikaru yelled, his hair messy from his tossing and turning.

Daiki yelled, "Today's the day, princess of Slifer Red! We have to get you ready! Get up!" Jaden, Hikaru and I covered our ears at his piercing scream. Hikaru moaned, "I'm regretting my decision already . . ."

"Out of bed, you three! It's time to turn Hikaru into a piece of artwork." Daiki said, smiling. Hikaru narrowed his eyes as he stretched, "No offense but you'll need to work really hard to achieve that."

"Nonsense!" Daiki said.

"Why does it have to be so early?" Jaden asked as he slipped in a pair of the Slifer Red white jeans. I was dressing up too, slipping in a new black shirt and yawning slightly.

"Hair and makeup take long! No to mention Hikaru has to see his outfits-."

"Outfits? Plural?" Hikaru cried out.

Daiki nodded, "There are around four outfits you must wear: the uniform, the performance clothing, the Duel Monsters costume and the dress for the finale!"

Hikaru fell down to his knees, "I'm so done . . ."

_**~~~~Dueling Legend~~~~**_

Jaden, Chazz, Haru and I were in the school's auditorium, standing along with the rest of the Slifer males. The Ra Yellows were to our right and I could see Bastion, Syrus, Hassleberry, Taro, Taka and Abiel together.

To our left were the Obelisk Blue males and females. I couldn't find Alexis, Asuna or Yuna anywhere. Who I did see, though, was Ace. When we made eye contact, he grinned at me before I looked away.

"I hope Hikaru is okay . . ." Haru sighed.

"He'll be fine! He's been through much worse!" Jaden replied back.

Chancellor Sheppard, Doctor Crowler, Ms. Fontaine, Bonaparte, Sartyr and Ms. Dorothy were up in the stage, along with the rest of the teachers. Crowler spread his arms, "Now, it's time for Duel Academy's beauty contest!"

Many began cheering. I sighed and Maggie appeared my side, pouting, '_Hey, how come I couldn't get in the contest? I'm in Slifer Red too, aren't I?_'

"Yeah, but you're not made out of flesh and bone, Maggie." I replied. Next to me, Jaden grinned and Chazz groaned, rolling his eyes. Maggie sighed, '_A girl can dream, can she not?_'

"Not like that." Jaden grinned, "At least Burstinatrix hasn't said anything about wanting to join a beauty contest."

"We have six entries for Obelisk Blue, one for Ra Yellow and one for Slifer Red." Crowler said, silencing the cheering, "Let's greet them, shall we?"

"From Obelisk Blue," Ms. Fontaine announced, "we have Alexis Rhodes, Asuna Hagane, Yuna Amano, Jasmine Makita, Mindy Hamaguchi and Arine Mizuhara."

The six girls appeared, all dressed in their Obelisk Blue uniform. The last, however, was one I did not know. Arine Mizuhara looked to be around seventeen years old. She had black hair with golden highlights and light blue eyes. Around her neck was an incomplete sign of the yin-yang. She only had the black part – the Yin.

_Who holds the other side? Who is the Yang to her Yin?_ I wondered.

"Go Alexis!"

"Go Asuna!"

"You own this, Yuna!"

"Jasmine, you got this!"

"Mindy! I love you!"

"Arine! You are beautiful! Win!"

"Now," Professor Sartyr said, "I present to you the representative of Ra Yellow: Blair Flannigan!"

Blair appeared in stage, dressed in the female Ra Yellow uniform. The guys in Ra Yellow cheered. She came to stand on her own, about six feet away from the females in Obelisk Blue. She waved, grinning from ear to ear, while the females of Obelisk stared expressionless.

"And, now, introducing Slifer Red's Princess-."

Suddenly, I saw a flash of red appear onto the stage. I blinked as I saw the red figure doing backflips and flips in what appeared to be high heels. Suddenly, the figure stopped, doing a split. The red raised the two gloved hands and leaned back, doing a temporary handstand before landing on the high-heeled boots.

"I'm glad he followed my guidance in making a flashy entrance." Daiki said.

The person stood about six feet away from Blair. It was a female wearing the Slifer Red uniform, the red gloves and red high-heels and Duel Disk, much to my surprise. How could she have done all those athletic flips with that on her wrist and wearing those high-heels.

Her eyes sky-blue, showing a lot more as she was wearing eyeliner and mascara. She had red eye shadow on and red lipstick. Her hair reached her lower back and was silver-blonde at the bottom. However, as it went upward, it turned darker. At the top of her head, it was golden.

"Who's she?" A guy in Obelisk asked.

"She's really pretty." A guy in Ra Yellow noted.

The professors and the rest of the contestants looked at the new entry. She smiled from one corner of her mouth, "I am Hikaru Amiya and I'm representing Slifer Red in this contest."

"H-H-Hikaru?!" A bunch of guys asked.

Alexis and Blair looked at Hikaru dumbfounded. Yuna gave out a squeak, "Hikaru? That's . . . you?!"

Hikaru winked, "Well, Slifer Red needed a representative. I fit the part and you know the saying, 'if the shoe fits, wear it!' Besides, the rules didn't say that a guy couldn't play dress up, now, did it?"

"She looks . . . amazing." Jaden said.

I raised an eyebrow, "You mean _he_, Jay."

Crowler coughed, staring at Hikaru as if he had grown a second head, "It's set, I suppose. Um . . . the next competition is the talent portion of the contest. . ." He cleared his throat, "Contestants, go and get changed into your outfits."

Hikaru waved and shot a thumbs up to Jaden, "Got this in the bag, Jay! I'm gonna win for us Slifer Red!"

"Go, princess!" Daiki yelled and Haru laughed uncomfortably, "I wonder how Hikaru's ever gonna live this down."

"I wonder the same thing." I whispered back.

_**~~~~Dueling Legend~~~~**_

After what appeared to be forty minutes of waiting, the girls and Hikaru appeared on stage. Hikaru had his long hair – extensions, Daiki said proudly – loose, and had a red streak on it. He was wearing a black skirt and long black socks and was wearing red Converse. He had a red shirt with short sleeves on and a sleeveless black jacket that didn't completely reach all the way to his waist. On his left arm, he had his Duel Disk, something he refused to part with.

"Alright," Ms. Fontaine said, "let the talent portion of the contest be-."

"Not so fast!"

Everyone turned to Asuna. The red head was dressed in a dark blue tank, tight black jeans and black fingerless gloves. She was glaring at Hikaru, "You are actually going through with this?"

Hikaru raised an eyebrow, "And why not? Don't I have the liberty to do what I want?" He stared at her more, "What are you so upset about?"

"Yuna doesn't deserve to see her _boyfriend_ in girl's clothing!"

"I ain't dating anyone!" Hikaru shot back.

"Things just got interesting." Arine said. She was wearing a white shirt, a black vest and a black skirt that was eight inches above the knees and black boots.

"I won't allow this to continue, alright!" Asuna yelled.

Suddenly, Hikaru's eyes widened in excitement, "Arguments like this are settled in only one way. Are you challenging me to a Duel, Asuna?"

"Yeah!" She yelled, grinning, "You and me, Slifer! If I win, you'll quit the contest and become Yuna's boyfriend!"

My eyes widened as I heard those news. Hikaru smirked, crossing his arms happily, "Alright then. But if _I_ win, both you and Yuna must quit the contest and I remain in it. Sounds fair, doesn't it?"

Asuna nodded, "Oh yeah. I hope you're ready to lose, slacker. I am an Obelisk. After this, be prepared to go out with Yuna. Although you look cute in those girl's clothes, you're only meant to wear guy's clothing."

Hikaru readied his Duel Disk, his eyes blazing, "Enough of the trash talking. It's time to turn up the heat in here!"

Yuna passed Asuna her Duel Disk. Asuna smirked and the other females moved away, giving the two Duelists enough space to battle. I turned to Jaden, "Tell me the truth . . . Is Hikaru good?"

"Is Hikaru good?" Jaden asked, turning his gaze on me. He smiled and then looked back at the stage, crossing his arms in a confident manner, "Is Syrus in love with your Dark Magician Girl?"

I smiled, turning back to the stage, "Alright, then. If you say so."

"But we can't underestimate Asuna either," Chazz said, "She is good in both tag-team and single. She and Alexis fought once and she defeated her. I hate to admit that she is a good Duelist."

"But Hikaru-kun is going to win, right?" Haru asked.

Jaden nodded, "I believe that Hikaru will win."

"Let's Duel!" Both Duelists yelled out, their Duel Disks ready. I smiled, "Yup, this is way better than that boring normal contest they were going to have. This is more my style."

**(Asuna: 4000/ Hikaru: 4000)**

"Ladies first," Hikaru said with a smirk. Asuna growled, "Kind of sad to say considering the clothes you're wearing, Amiya." This made Hikaru's right eye to twitch. He growled, "Why you . . .?!"

"My draw, then!" Asuna said, drawing her sixth card. She smiled at the card, "Okay, I summon Elemental Dragon: Aqua in Defense Mode!"

A light blue snake-like dragon with black eyes appeared on the field. Hikaru cringed, "Can I just say that I hate water?"

**(Elemental Dragon: Aqua: ATK/1000 DEF/1400)**

"I know that you hate water, Hikaru." Asuna smirked, "After all, water clashes with fire, doesn't it? And you're a bright flame. And I'll extinguish that flame! I place one card face-down and end my turn."

"Okay, then it's my move!" Hikaru said. He looked at the card he had just drawn, "Okay, I play Graceful Charity! This allows me to draw three more cards as long as I discard two. Next, I summon Raging Flame Sprite in Attack Mode!"

Hikaru's Duel Spirit made it to the field. He stretched and then looked around, '_What a crowd, Hika-chan! Are we in exam week again or something? I thought those were over!'_

**(Raging Flame Sprite: ATK/100 DEF/200)**

Raging Flame Sprite turned briefly to Hikaru and his eyes widened, _'Eh?! Hikaru, I thought you promised that you would never, ever, ever-_.'

"I know what I said. I made a promise two years ago and I'm not breaking it now. Not with Nikko still in the hospital, gone yet still here," Hikaru said. He bit his lip, "I still remember, Raging Flame Sprite. I can't forget."

I frowned. A promise? What promise? What was going on? He said two years ago. His brother was hit by a car two years ago and he mentioned a name. Nikko. Was that the name of his brother? But what was that promise? And what did that have anything to do with what was happening now?

Hikaru shook his head, "I attack Raging Flame Sprite! Go!"

'_Alright!_'

Asuna frowned, "My monster is stronger than yours! What do you think you're doing, Amiya? This is suicide!"

Hikaru smirked, "Not so. Show her what I mean, partner!"

Raging Flame Sprite winked, '_Gotcha!_' He charged Asuna's monster but, at the last minute, turned and hit Asuna with a blast of fire from his scepter. Asuna screamed as she was burned.

**(Asuna: 3900/ Hikaru: 4000)**

Hikaru pushed his extensions back, "Raging Flame Sprite can attack your Life Points directly. His second ability also comes in handy. Every time he successfully attacks directly, he gains 1000 Attack points."

**(Raging Flame Sprite: ATK/1100 DEF/200)**

"Next, I play Tremendous Fire!" Hikaru yelled out. Suddenly, tiny fire fiends appeared. They chuckled evilly and surrounded Hikaru. Suddenly, they shot fireballs at the Pyro Duelist, who gave out a small cry of pain.

**(Asuna: 3900/ Hikaru: 3500)**

"What is he doing?" Haru asked.

Asuna looked confused as well, staring at Hikaru who was panting in pain, the fiends cackling evilly, "Hikaru, what did you do? You just lost 500 Life Points! Are you insane? Are you throwing the match?"

"Genius." I muttered. Jaden nodded in agreement, "Hikaru is as unpredictable as fire. That is why he is a true Pyro Duelist."

"Huh?" Haru asked.

Hikaru grinned, "Tremendous Fire . . . handy card. I inflict 500 points of Direct Damage to myself so that I'm able to inflict 1000 points of damage to you!"

"What?!" Asuna cried out as the small goblins went to her side of the field. She looked at them frantically. Hikaru nodded, "Burn." As soon as those words left his mouth, the fiends began to burn the Obelisk who screamed loudly.

**(Asuna: 2900/ Hikaru: 3500)**

"Finally, I place one card face-down and end my turn. Your move, Asuna."

"Alright! I summon Elemental Dragon: Sparks in Attack Mode!" A serpentine-like dragon emerged on the field. Its scales were bright yellow and its eyes were black like coal. It roared.

**(Elemental Dragon: Sparks: ATK/1500 DEF/1300)**

'_That thing's scary!_' Raging Flame Sprite admitted.

"I attack! Go, Sparks! Destroy that small flame!" Asuna yelled. The dragon complied, launching a ball filled with electricity at the small Duel Spirit. Raging Flame Sprite waved his hands wildly, '_Save meeeeee!_'

"Happy to help, buddy! I activate Negate Attack!"

The orb was swallowed by a portal that appeared in front of Raging Flame Sprite. The Duel Spirit sighed, '_Glad I'm not dead!_'

Asuna frowned, "I place one card face-down and end my turn."

"Alright, my draw!" Hikaru said, "Okay, I play Fire Sorcerer in Defense Mode!"

'_I better survive this, Hikaru._' The female spellcaster said as she took a defensive stance next to the distracted looking Raging Flame Sprite.

**(Fire Sorcerer: ATK/1000 DEF/1500)**

"Maybe. . ." Hikaru said with a grin. The Spellcaster frowned, noticing something, '_Shame on you, Hikaru. Are you breaking your promise? As far as I'm concerned, Nikko is still in the hospital._'

"I'm not breaking the promise if I keep to my word. This is just for one day. My promise for Nikko won't be easily broken." Hikaru responded.

A promise? I wondered. What was Hikaru hiding? What was that promise that he made? Hikaru shook his head, pushing the extensions aside, "Alright, Raging Flame Sprite! Attack Asuna-."

"So predictable, Amiya! This Duel is already decided if you keep on acting like this!" Asuna yelled, "I activate Mirror Force!"

"No!" Hikaru yelled, "Raging Flame Sprite!"

'_Ahhh!_' The spirit disintegrated as the effect of Mirror Force took place. Hikaru's eyes widened, "No . . . Nikko . . ."

"Who's Nikko and why did Hikaru react like that when Raging Flame Sprite was destroyed?" I asked, seeing Hikaru trembling.

"Hikaru's twin brother," Jaden said, "He was run-over by a drunk driver two years ago. He's in a coma right now. The reason Hikaru acted like that when Raging Flame Sprite was destroyed was because Nikko gave him that card in their fourth birthday. The day that Nikko was run-over was the day that Hikaru lent his card to him. Nikko was holding it in his hand when he got hit by the car. Raging Flame Sprite is Hikaru's reminder of Nikko. Seeing it get destroyed is like seeing his brother die."

"Oh, Hikaru. . ." I whispered.

"I . . . end . . ." Hikaru said.

Asuna smiled, drawing her next card, "Okay! I summon Elemental Dragon: Flames in Attack Mode!" A fiery red dragon with black eyes appeared on the field, joining the other two dragons.

**(Elemental Dragon: Flames: ATK/1200 DEF/1400)**

"Next, I activate my face-down: Dragon Tribute! This Spell is very awesome. It allows me to sacrifice three Elemental Dragons to summon their lord. I Tribute Aqua, Sparks and Flames to Summon Elemental Dragon: Ultrion!"

The three dragons turned to orbs and flew up in the air. They combined and a dragon around the size of Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon appeared. It had three head, each a different color corresponding to the Tributed dragons. The rest of the body was a dark brown color.

"So that's Asuna's Ace. . ." Haru said in wonder.

"Wow." I whispered.

**(Elemental Dragon: Ultrion: ATK/3000 DEF/2700)**

"That doesn't look very nice." Hikaru said, "It's a nice dragon, though. Care to tell me where to find one like that?"

"That would be sweet to do . . . unfortunately, I'm ruthless like the dragons I play! Go, Ultrion! Attack Fire Sorcerer!" Asuna said, looking very scary as her dragon destroyed the monster in Defense.

"Fire Sorcerer!" Hikaru cried out.

"Oh, I'm not done yet! By losing 200 of my Life Points, I get to attack you again, if Ultrion's attack is halved!"

"Hikaru!" Daiki cried out, worriedly.

The dragon opened all three of its mouths and shot energy balls of fire, electricity and water from each mouth. Hikaru's eyes widened and he was hit by all three. He yelled in pain and flew back, landing on the hard stage ground.

"Hikaru!" Blair cried out.

"Hikaru!" Jaden, Chazz, Haru and I yelled.

**(Asuna: 2700/ Hikaru: 2000) **

Asuna smirked, "I end my turn but it's useless to continue. Just give up already. You have no monsters on the field and there's no way that you're gonna win against Ultrion! You're history, Hikaru Amiya!"

Hikaru growled, getting to his feet. He rolled his eyes, "Like I haven't heard threats like that before! I'm not going down, Asuna! I know that I can win!"

"Do you want to dress-up as a girl that badly?" Asuna yelled.

"I'm in this so-called beauty contest for my friends and fellow Slifers! And I will defeat you for them! Because I . . . Because . . . Because I am the true princess of the Slifer Red dorm!"

"Hikaru, you can do this!" Jaden yelled.

"Believe! Believe in the heart of the cards!" I yelled, making Chazz look at me briefly but then gave Hikaru a rare smile.

Hikaru turned to us and nodded, "Yeah. I'm gonna win. My turn! I draw!"

Hikaru gasped at the card he had drawn but then smiled, "Excellent! I play Monster Reborn! And I'm bringing back a monster from the Graveyard!"

"Raging Flame Sprite?" Asuna teased, "He's no match for my Ultrion!"

"Who says it's Raging Flame Sprite?" Hikaru shot back.

Asuna blinked in surprise, "If not him, then who? Don't tell me it's that pathetic Fire Sorcerer! It's too weak to stand up against my monster! What else can you choose from those two options?"

"Neither!" Hikaru shot back, "Revive . . . Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch!"

**(Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch: ATK/2400 DEF/1000)**

"What's this?" Asuna asked, "I never sent that card to the Graveyard! Unless . . . of course! Graceful Charity's effect!"

"Correct. I discarded my monarch then, Asuna. Now he's back and I now have the tools to defeat you! Prepare yourself!" Hikaru said as his monster chuckled, '_My, you're pretty fired up. Glad you're back to your old self._'

"This is only temporary." Hikaru replied.

Asuna scoffed, "Your Monster is still 600 points too weak! How do you expect to defeat me, Amiya?"

I frowned, "No way . . . Does Hikaru have . . . _that_ Monster?"

"What are you talking about, Shun?" Haru asked me. I stared straight ahead, "When I was four years old, my parents took me to their office in Industrial Illusions. That day, Pegasus was making three new cards: the Knights who would correspond with the Monarchs. They were sold off to a couple who had three kids. Does Hikaru . . .? Can it be?"

"I'll show you how I'll win! I play Retrieval of the Warrior!"

I gasped, "He does have one of the Knights!"

"What does that do?" Asuna asked.

Hikaru smiled, something akin to fire shining in his eyes, "It's quite easy. If one of the Monarchs is on the field – like Thestalos, for example – then I can Summon a Knight from my Deck. And I have only one. Come forth: Blazing Ace Knight!"

The ground next to Thestalos was suddenly surrounded by a red fog. Asuna took a step back, "Don't tell me that's-!"

A warrior jumped out of the mist. I inspected it. It was a female knight wearing blood-red armor with a red blade that was on fire. She has a red helmet that showed only one of her glowing red eyes and some part of her long, blonde hair.

**(Blazing Ace Knight: ATK/2500 DEF/2800)**

"The Knight of Flames," I said in awe, "I was sure that I would never see it again."

"Hikaru's ace." Jaden said, "That is one tough monster, Shun. And it is wielded by an equally amazing and strong Duelist – Hikaru Amiya!"

'_I've arrived, my king, partner._' Blazing Ace Knight said, sounding strong and wise, '_Shall we end this now?_'

Hikaru nodded, "For Raging Flame Sprite . . . I activate Blazing Ace Knight's ability! She can decrease your monster's attack by 500 for each monster on my side of the Graveyard that is of FIRE Attribute. Since there are two, Ultrion loses 1000!"

**(Elemental Dragon: Ultrion: ATK/3000 – 2000 DEF/2700)**

Asuna gasped, "Oh no!"

"Thestalos! Attack Asuna's Dragon!" Hikaru yelled as fire surrounded Hikaru, dancing to a silent tune. Thestalos nodded, '_With pleasure!_'

The Monarch shot out fire balls from his palms and launched them at the dragon. The dragon hissed as it disintegrated just like Raging Flame Sprite and the others had. Asuna yelled out, "Ultrion!"

**(Asuna: 2300/ Hikaru: 2000)**

"And it's not over yet! Go, Blazing Ace Knight! Attack Asuna directly and avenge our fallen comrades!" Hikaru told the Monster. Blazing Ace Knight ran towards Asuna, '_Never mess with our family again!_'

The Monster stabbed Asuna hard in the stomach. Asuna screamed as fire enveloped her body. Blazing Ace Knight removed her sword and Asuna fell to her knees in pain.

**(Asuna: 0/ Hikaru: 2000)**

"He did it . . ." Daiki said in wonder and awe.

Hikaru smiled, lifting a hand in the air, "And you're another victim that has fallen under the storm . . . the firestorm, that is."

"I lost." Asuna sighed, "A deal is a deal, Hikaru. Yuna, let's go."

Yuna looked down. She was wearing a light green shirt and a black jacket, the sleeves that made it up to her shoulders. She had on a dark green skirt and black heels. She nodded, "R-r-right, Asuna. G-g-good-bye, Hikaru."

Both girls walked away. Hikaru fell down to the ground, much to my surprise, "I'm exhausted! Whew! I was sure I was a goner! Can't believe I made it! That sure was an awesome Duel!"

"Same old Hikaru." I smiled. Hikaru stood up and raised a fist, "Slifer Red all the way!" All the Slifers cheered. Jaden whooped, "Yeah! Go Hikaru! Slifer Red pride! You go!"

Chazz smiled while I waved my hands wildly, "Yeah!"

"You got this!" Haru yelled, jumping up and down in excitement.

Hikaru nodded, winking and shooting us a thumbs up. Dr. Crowler coughed, "Well, since that Duel was entertaining, Hikaru advances to the next portion of the contest. Slifer Red is still in!"

"Yes!"

"Go, Princess!"

"Princess Hikaru of Slifer Red!"

"Slifer Princess!"

I laughed, Haru, Jaden and Chazz turning to me, "Hearing all of this, I wonder how much of Hikaru's pride is dying on him. Poor guy."

Hikaru waved at the crowd with a huge grin before he left, going backstage to change his wardrobe. Jaden smiled, "I'm glad Hikaru enjoyed it. I honestly believe that Hikaru should wear girl's clothing."

"Uh, Jay?" I asked, "You do realize that Hikaru doesn't like cross-dressing, right?"

Jaden shook his head, almost like a dog when it shakes itself clear of water on its fur, and Chazz shot him a glare, "Hikaru likes being a _guy_, Jaden. Remember that. This is a one-time thing."

What was going with them? As they began to argue, I turned to Haru, who was smiling nervously at the fight, "I'm gonna go see Hikaru, alright? Tell Chazz and Jaden after they're done fighting, alright?"

Haru nodded, adjusting his glasses and smiling genuinely, "Right! Tell him that he was awesome, alright?"

"Yup!" I said, moving through the crowd of Slifers. I saw Daiki sobbing, saying that he was proud of his "little girl" and that Hikaru had grown to be a true treasure for the Slifers. Wasn't he going overboard?

I scanned the crowd briefly only to see that Ace was nowhere to be found. This fact didn't make me feel safe. It made me uneasy. I made my way through the crowd until I finally made it to the backstage door.

"-he wouldn't allow it."

I blinked to see Ace talking with another third year Obelisk Blue. This one had golden hair with black highlights and light blue eyes. Around his neck was an incomplete sign of the yin-yang. He only had the black part – the Yang.

_Arine's Yang!_ I realized.

Ace smirked upon seeing me, causing me to give him a glare (a terrible one but still a glare), "Hey there, little Shun. Wanted to speak to me so soon? By all means, we can. What do you want to know? More about the fourth card?"

"This is the famous Shun Sakaki?" The other said, "He doesn't look like much."

I shuddered. His voice sounded so . . . dead. It was as if he wasn't alive. That scared me more than anything. He crossed his arms, "I am Blayke Mizuhara."

"Arine's brother?" I asked. Ace nodded, "So you can connect the dots. Yes, little Shun, Blayke and Arine are twins. The Opposite Mizuhara Twins."

"I thought that the Spirit Duelist you had spoken of was more of a threat," Blayke spoke in his hollow voice, "All I see in front of me is a kid: small, young and weak. Not to mention he's a _Slifer_. Is this the kid Master needs?"

"You work with Ace?" I gasped.

Ace nodded, "Surprise, surprise, little Shun. Arine and Blayke are helping the Master and I. Of course, I am still the Master's most trusted and loyal servant. And it's my job to take you to him."

I reached for my Deck that was hanging on my belt, "Want to Duel now?"

"No."

I looked up to see Arine. Her gaze was cold, like her brother's voice. She turned to Ace, "This is neither the time nor place for a Duel, Ace. Calling forth the shadows will draw attention on us. Not to mention that that boy, the Slifer, is watching us."

I blinked, "You're talking about Jaden?"

"The Ruler of the Gentle Darkness?" Blayke asked, raising an eyebrow, "My, this is just fantastic. I suppose taking this one to the Master must happen in another time. Consider yourself lucky, Shun."

He started walking away. Arine smirked, "Good luck, little boy. That will be the only thing that will protect you from us. It was nice to see you, Shun." She turned away, walking towards the dressing rooms.

Ace walked up to me. He ruffled my hair, much to my annoyance, "Master is getting impatient. Power is such a thrill to him. Soon, little Shun, you'll be taken to him. Even if I must drag you kicking and screaming."

"I won't ever let that happen." I growled, "I'll never allow you to use me in that petty quest for power."

"We'll see."

Ace walked away, opening the door and closing it. When he had opened it, I had briefly heard someone singing I'm ALIVE! By Becca. Probably Blair, as the voice had sounded extremely familiar.

I shook my head, "I can't believe he has three servants here in Duel Academy! But . . . why are they in Duel Academy? Why is this place their base? Something is going on here and I don't like it . . . Pandora?"

'_Yes?_'

"Tell the others about this. As soon as you report to them, come back, alright?" I told her. She nodded before she vanished. We were close to finding the culprit behind my Grandfather's deaths and my parents' as well. I just knew it.

I ran a hand through my ever-spiky hair, "Geez . . . I can't believe this happened to me just because I wanted to congratulate Hikaru. Speaking about that, I haven't told him."

I started walking again, towards the direction I was sure I had seen Arine take. As soon as I entered, I smiled, "Ah! The doors are labelled! This will make things easier in finding Hikaru!"

'-_you made a promise!_'

"And I'm still honoring it!"

Voices. One was definitely Hikaru. I followed the torrent of voices that screamed until a loud, female voice called them to silence, the voice that I knew belonged to Blazing Ace Knight. I frowned and stopped in front of the door.

'Hikaru has not forgotten the promise! You dare question our Duelist? The day Nikko went to the other place, Hikaru swore to become different. That promise is still intact!' Blazing Ace Knight asked.

I nearly cried out. I had just walked into another mystery. When will things in my life not be complicated? What promise did Hikaru break? What was going on? I had to know! One less mystery to worry about!

"Hikaru, I-." I started, opening the door.

I immediately spotted Hikaru and all the Duel Spirits surrounding the Pyro Duelist. Hikaru's eyes widened upon seeing me and I felt mine widen as well. Just when Hikaru was about to say something, I screamed.

_**~~~~Dueling Legend~~~~ **_

**Anime: How was that? Good? Bad? Okay?**

**Tyson: What happened?**

**Bakura: Something we shall discover in the next chapter.**

**Jehu: Which will take long to upload.**

**Anime: Yup! I have a project for World Geo on my dream trip to Tokyo, Japan! It's actually my final! DX. I'm gonna die! Also, the holidays are coming soon, I might get writer's block, Word in my laptop might die again (that kept me from working!). Also, I'm starting a new fic soon.**

**Haou: You're not even done with this one.**

**Anime: Shut up! It's called L!f3 and it's a crossover of a bunch of stuff. I might upload it during Christmas or Christmas Eve, depending if I work on it. It's a comedy/horror story with a plot! Yay! More details on this when I upload and in my DA account (which you can find in the Bio). Also, I'm probably gonna make a poll in my DA on which fanfic I should work on besides Dueling Legend and L!f3. Yes, I have some of the first chapters typed out but I haven't posted them. Cast your votes!**

**Brooklyn: Reviews are welcome. Flamers will be sent to the Shadow Realm.**

**Bakura: We'll be back in the next update.**

**Tyson: Or in L!f3. Whichever comes first!**

**Anime: Ja ne! **


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